Unicorns and dragons are mythical creatures, but I love to spend time chasing after them in the wild. If you know me well, you are probably aware of my fascination with dragonflies, one of my favorite subjects to photograph in the warmer months of the year. I am always delighted when I manage to spot a Unicorn Clubtail (Arigomphus villosipes), a beautiful dragonfly species in which both sexes have a small hornlike projection between their eyes that gives rise to their common name—you can’t really see the “horn” in these photos, so you’ll have to take my word on it. I spotted the Unicorn Clubtails in this posting yesterday while I was exploring a small pond in Fairfax County, Virginia where I live.
It is fairly easy to identify the males of this species, because of the rusty-edged club at the bottom portion of the dragonfly’s abdomen and its very visible bright tip. Male Unicorn Clubtails tend to fly short patrols and perch quite often on low vegetation. It is not hard to spot them if I am in the appropriate environment, which is usually a pond or marsh, unlike most other clubtail dragonflies that prefer rivers and streams.
In the first photo, the dragonfly was perched on some flimsy vegetation growing out of the water. The Unicorn Clubtail tested out several plants that couldn’t support its weight before finding on on which he could perch. In the second photo, the dragonfly opted to perch in the abundant vegetation growing near the water’s edge. The background in this image is a bit cluttered, but I was happy that I managed to keep the dragonfly in relatively sharp focus.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Mike, I am amazed at how you spot these magical winged beauties and capture them in photos of incredible details.
Thanks so much, Suzette. There is no real “secret” to to getting shots of of these magical creatures. Mostly it’s about slowing down and focusing my attention and then reacting quickly when I do spot a dragonfly. Over time I have gotten better at identifying likely habitats for some of these dragonflies and visiting those places during the right season increases the odds of getting some shots of them.
Awesome. Thank you for sharing your talents.
very beautifull 👍
Thanks. i love taking photos of dragonflies.
I tried and tried to leave a comment without success and will now attempt to do so again. Love the first and second photos and the commentary. “The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.” – Eden Phillpotts. Thank-you, Mr. Mike!!
I definitely received this comment, Ellen, and love the quote you chose to include. Thanks.
[…] abdomen (its “tail”). I have attached a photo of a male Unicorn Clubtail from a recent blog posting (second photo below) to visually illustrate some of the differences between a female and a male […]