I was thrilled to spot at least one male Sable Clubtail dragonfly (Stenogomphurus rogersi) last Saturday while I was exploring a small stream in Fairfax County, Virginia. I visited that section of the stream several times during the day and had multiple sightings of a Sable Clubtail, but I am not sure if there was more than one of this species or if I was seeing the same individual each time.
As you can see from these two photos, Sable Clubtails like to perch low in vegetation just above the level of the water of the stream. As a result I had to crouch really low to be able to capture these images. The lighting was brighter for the first photo and you can see many of the details of the markings on the dragonfly, but I really like the cool shadow in the second image, which has a more “artsy” feel.
Sable Clubtails are rarein our area. Fellow dragonfly enthusiast Walter Sanford did extensive research and rediscovered this species in 2018 and I have been fortunate to see a Sable Clubtail at this stream in most years since then. If you are interested in the backstory of Walter’s efforts, check out his June 2018 blog posting entitled Off-season homework pays dividends.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Mike Powell 
Very nice find and photographs, Mike!
We don’t have this species in our area of central Florida.
Thanks, Wally. I feel bad that you don’t have Sables there, but I’m pretty sure that you have quite a few species there that I never get to see. 🙂
I don’t comment a lot on your posts Mike, but I do read your blog almost daily. I have to say when it comes to dragonflies, since I am a newbie ode-hunter, I use the information you provide in your blogs to learn. As I age, I do find only a fact or two at a time “sticks.” LOL It seems almost anytime I do a search for something related to dragonflies, I end up either on your blog or Walter’s. I appreciate the information you have provided over the years that I find useful today. Thank you (and Walter!) for sharing what you learn and find on a daily basis.
Thanks so much for your kind words, Nicole. My background is in liberal arts (French and Russian), so my approach and explanations are not always very scientific, but hopefully they are understandable.