As I was looking over my photos from my visit last Wednesday to Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge, I was struck by the variety of perching styles of the dragonflies that I had photographed. The dragonfly on the left in the first photo, a Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta), was using the style that I see most often—he was perched horizontally with his wings extended outwards. The dragonfly on the right, a male Swift Setwing (Dythemis velox) had his abdomen raised to about a 45 degree angle and had pulled his wings forward.
In the second image, the dragonfly was perched at a slight angle as it held onto the vegetation. The coloration of this dragonfly is so faded that it is hard for me to identify its species, though I think it might be an old Great Blue Skimmer (Libellula vibrans).
In the final photo, the dragonfly is in an almost vertical position as it clings to the stalk of the vegetation. The shadows make it tough to identify this dragonfly, but I am not worried about that—I like the “artsy” feel of the photo.
This little posting barely scratches the surface of the topic of dragonfly perching behavior, but I hope it raises your awareness of the diversity in the world of dragonflies, not just in their appearances, but also in their behavior.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Wonderful to see all the different perching styles of the dragonflies, Mike. I find a thrill when I come upon a dragonfly with the wings stretched out in front. Thanks so much for raising my awareness of dragonflies.
Thanks, Jet. I recently did a little YouTube video about dragonflies in flight that you might enjoy. Doing video feels still feels a bit strange, but you do get to hear my voice. 🙂 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v1Zp7z-2hI 🙂
I absolutely loved your video, Mike. Your enthusiasm and expertise for dragonflies comes through beautifully. I like how upbeat you are about photographing dragonflies, and encouraging. Your voice is rich, vocabulary lovely, and diction is smooth. A complete joy to watch–I’m still smiling. Thanks for sending me the link.
You just made my day, Jet. Thanks so much for your wonderful words of encouragement. My video skill are still pretty rough, but I am glad to hear that my enthusiasm carried over pretty well. I marvel at the way that people are able to film themselves in the field–I relied a great deal on a post-facto voiceover, but included some clips of me talking in situ. 🙂
Your comment, Jet, was a public one, so I hope you don’t mind that I reproduced it in a posting just now that was a shameless plug for the YouTube video. In that posting, I included a link to your blog and encouraged readers to check it out. 🙂
Sounds like a win-win, Mike. Thank you and best wishes.
Nice photos especially the middle one with the bright sparkling light coming through the dragonfly’s wings.
Thanks, Gary. Someone else mentioned to me that image reminded them of an angel. 🙂