During a recent visit to Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge I was delighted to spot a female Eastern Amberwing dragonfly (Perithemis tenera) as she was depositing her eggs in the vegetation in a small pond. Initially she would hover for a moment, as you can see in the first image, and then dip the tip of her abdomen straight downwards to release some eggs, as shown in the second image. The dragonfly repeated this process multiple times at this spot before moving on to other spots.
I have observed this process multiple times, but have rarely been able to photograph it. Eastern Amberwings are the smallest dragonflies in my area and are only about an inch (25 mm) in length, so they are a challenge to photograph. Fortunately when the female is ovipositing, she hovers a bit, which gives me time to focus on her. Sharp-eyed viewers may have noticed that the wings of this dragonfly have patterns, but are not amber in color—only male Eastern Amberwings have amber wings.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
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