Odonata is an order of flying insects that includes dragonflies and damselflies. During the warmer months of the year I spend a lot of time hunting for dragonflies, the larger members of this group of magical creatures, but I also enjoy searching for damselflies, their smaller and more fragile “cousins.”
Damselflies, like dragonflies, come in a variety of colors and shapes. Here is a sampling of images of damselflies that I captured this past Thursday during visits to Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge and Occoquan Regional Park, both of which are located within 15 miles (24 km) of my house.
The first photo shows a Orange Bluet (Enallagma signatum). I am always amused by the name of this species, because it seems incongruous to have an orange-colored member of a genus called American Bluets. Most male bluets are, in fact, blue, but others are orange, scarlet, and burgundy and there is even a “Rainbow Bluet.”
The second image shows a male Azure Bluet (Enallagma aspersum), whose colors are closer to my mental image of a bluet. Most bluets are some combination of blue and black and it can be tricky trying to determine specific species by examining the color patterns on the body and in the eyes.
The third shot is of a male Fragile Forktail (Ischnura posita), one of the first damselflies to emerge each spring. Fragile Forktails are really tiny (about an inch (25 mm) in length, but are relatively easy to identify by their broken shoulder stripe that looks like an exclamation point.
In the final photo I was eye-to-eye with the damselfly so his abdomen is almost completely out of focus. Nonetheless enough details are visible for me to say this is almost certainly a male Eastern Forktail damselfly (Ischnura verticalis).
I like to try to vary my approach to capturing images of most subjects, including damselflies, as you can see in this little collection of photos. Sometimes, as in the first shot, I will try to isolate the subject from its background in order to focus the viewer’s complete attention on the subject. Recently, though, I have developed a preference for including more of the habitat in my shots, as in the second image, in order to give the viewer a sense of the environment in which I took the shot. When possible, I like to attempt to capture some “artsy” shots, like the final image, by using selective focus and choosing carefully my angle of view.
No matter what approach I choose with damselflies, I have to be careful not to fall into the water, where most of these dragonflies were perching. I am not always successful in keeping my feet dry.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
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Mike Powell 
Memorial Day 2024
Posted in Architecture, commentary, Nature, Photography, tagged Gettysburg Address, iPhone 11, Memorial Day 2024, Orkney Springs VA, Saint Francis of Assisi, Shrine Mont, Shrine Mont Retreat Center on May 27, 2024| 8 Comments »
Today in the United States we are commemorating Memorial Day, a day set aside to honor, mourn, and remember those who died while serving our country, especially in the armed forces. As some of you know, I spent 20 years in the U.S. Army and I personally feel a sense of gratitude to those who gave what Lincoln so poignantly called “the last full measure of devotion” in his address at Gettysburg in 1863. He challenged his listeners and continues to challenge us with these words, “It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.”
A little over a week ago I spent the weekend at a retreat at Shrine Mont in Orkney Springs, Virginia with a group from my church, St. Martin de Porres Episcopal Church. I was mostly unplugged all weekend in order to be more fully engaged with others and with the beautiful mountain setting. With my iPhone, though, I captured these images that give you a small sense of the beauty and serenity of Shrine Mont, including the outdoor cathedral that I visited each day in the early morning hours and at which we celebrated Pentecost Sunday with several other churches. Repeatedly throughout the weekend, I was captured by a sense of introspection and contemplation.
The third photo shows an extract from The Sermon to the Birds attributed to St. Francis of Assisi. Here is the full text, “My little sisters, the birds, much bounden are ye unto God, your creator, and always in every place ought ye to praise him, for that he hath given you liberty to fly about everywhere, and hath also given you double and triple raiment; moreover he preserved your seed in the ark of Noah, that your race might not perish out of the world; still more are ye beholden to him for the element of the air which he hath appointed for you; beyond all this, ye sow not, neither do you reap; and God feedeth you, and giveth you the streams and fountains for your drink; the mountains and valleys for your refuge and the high trees whereon to make your nests; and because ye know not how to spin or sow, God clotheth you, you and your children; wherefore your creator loveth you much, seeing that he hath bestowed on you so many benefits; and therefore, my little sisters, beware of the sin of ingratitude, and study always to give praises unto God.”
Today is a day set aside for us be thankful, an attitude which I believe we should cultivate every day and not just on special holidays. I can’t help but think of the Bible verses (Thessalonians 5:16-18) that say, “Rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances.” Not long ago I heard a sermon that has prompted me to look at that verse in a new way—the pastor reminded us that the verse says to give thanks in all circumstances, not for all circumstances. We definitely cannot control our circumstances, no matter how hard we try, but we can control our response to those circumstances.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
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