When I went out with my camera on Wednesday, it was cool and cloudy, but fortunately the rain had stopped falling. I was not optimistic that I would see a lot of wildlife, but it felt good to get out of the house and to spend some time in nature.
Most dragonflies prefer warm weather and become inactive when it is cool, so I did not expect to see many during my walk. I was thrilled therefore when I spotted this male Common Whitetail dragonfly (Plathemis lydia). I watched as he was flying and saw him land low in the vegetation, just off of the ground.
The background in this shot is really busy, but somehow the dragonfly really stands out. It’s kind of a fun little photo of one of the few remaining dragonflies as we move through October.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
stunning
I actually really like the background. I think that tangle of forms creates really interesting visual texture and the contrasting colour of the dragonfly still makes him pop.
What a lovely find!
Nice capture on that vegetation. I’ve more often seen them on dirt and not pretty dirt, either. Now that I’m thinking of it I saw very few Common Whitetails this summer, other years I’ve seen them in our yard as well as a few places out and about.