July 20, 2024 by Mike Powell
The main subject of one of my photos is usually pretty clear—I try to fill as much of the frame as possible with the insect or bird on which I am focusing at that moment with a telephoto or macro lens. Of course, it is often impossible to “fill the frame,” because my wildlife subjects frequently are skittish and are likely to depart if I move too suddenly or get too close to them.
As I was reviewing my photos from a visit to Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge last week, I came across this shot of a Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus). The wren was pretty far away and had its back to me. The only thing that saved this from being another “butt shot” was the slight turn of the wren’s head that provided me with a chance to get a profile shot.
The shot of the wren is ok, but it was the amazing background that took my breath away. I dabble with watercolor painting and I would be absolutely thrilled to be able to paint a background like this, with all of those different shades of green and the deliciously soft “bokeh ball.” Wow!
I decided that the main subject of the photo that I wanted to show you all was actually the background, not the Carolina Wren. Consequently I did not crop very tightly and left it to the viewers to focus their attention on the linear structure of the branches and on the wonderful background. I am not sure that a thumbnail view of the image will grab folks’ attention, but I am ok with that—the photos in my blog are intended to provide an interesting view of some aspect of the beauty of nature and not serve as click-bait to maximize the number of views.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Canon 7D, Carolina Wren, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Thryothorus ludovicianus, Woodbridge VA | 5 Comments »
July 19, 2024 by Mike Powell
Earlier in the season, when the trees were bare, it was very easy to spot Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) when they returned to our area from their wintering grounds. Now, though, the trees are covered in leaves and Ospreys are increasingly hard to see as they perch among the leaves, especially if they remain silent.
I was delighted to spot this vigilant osprey last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. He was alert and focused—he seemed to be paying attention to something, though I am not sure of the subject of his surveillance.
The winds were kicking up periodically, causing a cowlick of feathers to stand up in the back of the osprey’s head. When I was a child, I had a similar problem and had to use a bit of Brylcreem to keep the unruly hair in place. (My Mom used to be able to accomplish the same thing with my hair using only a bit of her saliva and her fingers.)
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Canon 7D, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Osprey, osprey in a tree, Pandion haliaetus, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA | 2 Comments »
July 18, 2024 by Mike Powell
On occasion I have noticed a dragonfly that seemed to be smiling a little at me. Last week, though, I encountered a female Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge that seemed to have an exceptionally toothy grin—she seemed delighted to pose for me. I love the way that the background blurred out, allowing viewers to focus on the details of this smiling dragonfly and hopefully producing smiles on their faces in response.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Portraits, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Canon 7D, female Widow Skimmer, Libellula luctuosa, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, toothy grin, Widow Skimmer, Widow Skimmer dragonfly, Woodbridge VA | 2 Comments »
July 17, 2024 by Mike Powell
When dragonflies mate, they usually assume a “wheel” position, in which the male grasps the female by the back of her head and she bends her abdomen towards his thorax. The position appears to be both awkward and acrobatic, but amazingly the dragonflies are able to fly while in this position.
I was searching for dragonflies last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge when a pair of mating Calico Pennant dragonflies (Celithemis elisa) flew by me and landed in some nearby vegetation. Calico Pennants are some of the most spectacular dragonflies in our area, with bright colors and distinctive patches on their wings.
Feeling a bit like a voyeur, I moved a little closer to them and slowly crouched a bit to get a better angle for my shot. In the image below, you can see how the female grasps the abdomen of the male during this process.
I was happy to be able to get most of the two dragonflies in focus, which is always a challenge in situations like this.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Calico Pennant, Calico Pennant dragonfly, Canon 7D, Celithemis elisa, mating calico pennant dragonflies, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA | 1 Comment »
July 16, 2024 by Mike Powell
The entire East Coast of the United States is in the midst of a heat wave. Yesterday here in the Washington D.C. area we had a record high temperature for 15 July of 102 degrees (39 degrees C) with the heat index even higher. Yikes.
Following recommendations of doctors and weather forecasters, I stayed indoors for most of the day and worked on a few images that I captured last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, including this shot of a Halloween Pennant dragonfly (Celithemis eponina).
Many dragonflies perch with their wings held stationary, but Halloween Pennants seem to move their wings about quite a bit to maintain their balance as they perch precariously on the very tips of tall stalks of vegetation. It is very easy to isolate the dragonfly from the background, because they are perched above all of the ground clutter, but it is a bit of a challenge to focus on the dragonfly as it is buffeted to and fro by even the slightest of breezes.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Canon 7D, Celithemis eponina, halloween pennant, Halloween Pennant dragonfly, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA | 2 Comments »
July 15, 2024 by Mike Powell
I was delighted to see some Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. In the first photo, a male Red-winged Blackbird seemed to be showing off for me as he balanced himself on a single leg, glanced in my direction, and seemed to smile. Eventually he climbed to the tip of the small branch and appeared to be complaining about something that he observed.
A short distance away I captured the final image of a female Red-winged Blackbird. As you can she, she is not black nor does she have any red on her wings, so it feels a little strange to call her a Red-winged Blackbird. Although I was not able to get very close to her, I really like the overall composition of the image and the moment of action that I was able to capture as she called out.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Agelaius phoeniceus, Canon 7D, female Red-winged Blackbird, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, red-winged blackbird, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA | 5 Comments »
July 14, 2024 by Mike Powell
What do you do to cope with the heat at this time of the year? I stay indoors a bit more in my air conditioned house and decided this week to work on a cool little cross stitch pattern. Yesterday I finished the pattern, which is available as a free download from Silver Creek Samplers. (
https://www.silvercreeksamplers.com/dog-days)
Although my ears are not quite as long as those of the dog in this image, I confess that I have been spending a lot of time in front of a fan as we cope with a heat wave that has enveloped much of the United States this past week.
As I noted in a blog posting earlier this month, I returned this year to cross stitching, which I did a lot during the 1980s and 1990s, after a break of about 20 years. I am working on a bigger project, but sometimes it is fun to knock out little projects like this one that make me smile.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in cross stitch, Photography, Summer | Tagged counted cross stitch, cross stitch, dog days of summer, Silver Creek Samplers | 6 Comments »
July 13, 2024 by Mike Powell
We have a number of different dark swallowtail butterfly species in our area and sometimes I have trouble telling them apart. Recently I have seen Black Swallowtails fairly frequently and occasionally I will see a Pipevine Swallowtail. I know that there is also a dark morph version of the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail and a Red-spotted Purple butterfly sometimes looks almost like a swallowtail.
Are you confused yet? When I spotted this cool-looking butterfly on Wednesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, I was not sure what it was. Rather than endlessly speculating while in the field, I follow what I call the “Law of the Wild West”—shoot first and ask questions later—and wait to identify my subjects until after I have loaded my images onto my computer.
I have grown accustomed to using a blog posting by the Louisiana Naturalist to help identify dark swallowtails—it provides side-by-side photos of four different species. On the basis of that posting and some other research, I have concluded that “my” butterfly is probably a Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus) butterfly, a species that I don’t recall seeing the past few years.
The background of the photo is not particularly interesting, but I was patient enough to wait for the butterfly to open its wings, so you get a good look at the wonderful markings of this Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Canon 7D, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Papilio troilus, Spicebush Swallowtail, Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA | 1 Comment »
July 12, 2024 by Mike Powell
On Wednesday I watched as a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) chased an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) high in the sky above the waters off of Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge in a vain attempt to steal its freshly caught fish. I captured the second shot when the eagle flew past me after giving up on its chase.
It has been several months since I last photographed a Bald Eagle, so I was thrilled to capture these images. As most of you know, I concentrate most of my photographic attention on dragonflies and other insects during the warmer months. However, I am always alert to the possibility of photographing birds when I manage to spot them.
During the winter months I generally use a 150-600mm telephoto zoom lens that gives me a long reach, but in the summer I tend to rely on a 180mm macro lens or the 18-400mm zoom lens that I used for these shots. This lens gives me a good deal of versatility, allowing me to capture my close-in tiny subjects and some longer distance ones like these raptors in flight.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Bald Eagle, birds in flight, Canon 7D, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Osprey, Pandion haliaetus, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA | 5 Comments »
July 11, 2024 by Mike Powell
I was a little shocked yesterday to see a Green Heron (Butorides virescens) while I was searching for dragonflies at a small pond at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. In the past I have seen Green Herons at other locations at the refuge, but never before at this pond. Green Herons are smaller and squatter than the Great Blue Herons that I am more accustomed to seeing.
When I initially spooked the Green Heron, it flew to a mucky, shallow end of the pond, where I was able to capture the first two images. I am always amazed at the length of the neck of a Green Heron when it extends it fully—it looks so much taller and slimmer in the second shot. I also really like the floppy head feathers that sometime look like a Mohawk hairstyle.
The Green Heron eventually sensed my presence and flew to a nearby tree. The heron was partially hidden by the abundant foliage, but eventually I was able to capture the final image of it among the leaves.
It was hot and humid yesterday, so I limited my trekking to a couple of hours and drank plenty of water. Still, it was nice to get out in the wild with my camera after a week of spending most of my time indoors.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Butorides virescens, Canon 7D, green heron, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA | 7 Comments »
July 10, 2024 by Mike Powell
When it comes to color theory, red and green are viewed as complementary colors, i.e. they are on the opposite sides of a color wheel. When used together, complementary colors provide a high contrast and high impact color combination—together, these colors will appear brighter and more prominent.
A week ago I was delighted to post a photo of a perched Carolina Saddlebags (Tramea carolina) dragonfly, a species that is almost always in flight when I am fortunate to spot one. A few days later, I managed to get some even better photos of a perched Carolina Saddlebags during a visit to Occoquan Bay Regional Park.
The lighting was good and the background was far enough away that it became blurry. The complementary colors of the dragonfly and the background really make these images “pop.” The interesting poses of the dragonfly draw in the viewer as well—a breeze was blowing and the dragonfly struggled a bit to maintain its hold on the tip of the vegetation on which it was perched.
It is really cool when the elements of a photograph come together like this and I am able to capture the scene in a way that is both technically and artistically pleasing. It was a good day.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Art, Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Canon 7D, Carolina Saddlebags, Carolina Saddlebags dragonfly, color theory, color wheel, complementary colors, Lorton VA, Occoquan Regional Park, Tamron 18-400mm, Tramea carolina | 6 Comments »
July 9, 2024 by Mike Powell
Like many guys, I am not very good at remembering my own anniversary. In this case, though, I am not in trouble with a partner, because it is “only” the anniversary of my blog. Word Press informed me a couple of days ago that it has been 12 years since I started my blog. According to the Word Press stats, I have had 459,601 views and a total of 5,183 posts. Wow!
I am pretty sure that I never intended for the blog to become a part of my daily life for such a long period of time. Initially I thought that the blog would be merely a vehicle for showcasing the wildlife photos that I was increasingly taking. It quickly became clear, however, that I enjoyed expressing myself in my words as well as in my photos. Over the years, I have gotten accustomed to the routine of sitting down in front of the keyboard most days, picking a recent photo or a small group of them, and saying something about the images.
I have really appreciated the support and encouragement that I have received from so many readers over these last 12 years. My life has changed quite a bit over that time, but your support for the blog has been a steadying force for me. Thanks.
A special thanks goes to Cindy Dyer, my dear friend and photography mentor, who sat me down 12 years ago and walked me through the steps of starting this blog—she remains a muse for my photography and other artistic endeavors.
In case you are curious, I am attaching a copy of the photo of a Blue Dasher dragonfly that was featured in my very first blog posting on 7 July 2012. As you can see, I was already “hooked” on dragonflies back then.
As I get older—I will turn 70 in a few weeks—I have become increasingly aware that nothing in life is guaranteed. My hope, though, is that I will continue this blog indefinitely, sharing my photos and musings in almost daily posts. Enjoy the journey with me, dear friends.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Inspiration, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged anniversary, blog, Blog statistics | 34 Comments »
July 8, 2024 by Mike Powell
Sometimes my photos convey the mistaken impression that dragonflies are large and are easy to find and photograph. Using telephoto and macro lenses and a stealthy approach, I try to isolate the dragonflies, so that viewers can focus on the beautiful details of these amazing aerial acrobats.
The reality though, is that most dragonflies are quite small—this male Eastern Amberwing dragonfly (Perithemis tenera) is only about one inch (25 mm) in length—and they often fly about amidst vegetation that conceals their movements.
This image gives you a sense of the vastness of the environment and some of the challenges in spotting the dragonflies. Of course, the second challenge is getting close enough to the subject without scaring it away, though in this case I was content to capture a wide-angle shot that shows this dragonfly in its preferred environment.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Canon 7D, Eastern Amberwing, Eastern Amberwing dragonfly, Lorton VA, Occoquan Regional Park, Perithemis tenera, Tamron 18-400mm | 5 Comments »
July 7, 2024 by Mike Powell
Simple photographic compositions are often the most effective ones, like this image of a male Needham’s Skimmer (Libellula needhami) dragonfly that I captured last week at Occoquan Regional Park in Lorton, Virginia. All that is present in the frame is the dragonfly, the stem of the vegetation on which he is perched, and a blurred background—there is nothing extraneous or distracting. The limited color palette and the angled pose help to make the subject “pop.”
Sometimes photography can seem so complicated, but at other times it seems natural and intuitive and I am able to capture the beauty of nature without having to think consciously about what I am doing.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Canon 7D, Libellula needhami, Lorton VA, male Needham's Skimmer, Needham's Skimmer, Needham's Skimmer dragonfly, Occoquan Regional Park, Tamron 18-400mm | Leave a Comment »
July 6, 2024 by Mike Powell
As I was searching the edge of a pond for dragonflies earlier this week I suddenly heard the unmistakable call of a Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon). As I lifted my head, the kingfisher flew across my field of view and perched on a wooden post sticking out of the water. Even though the kingfisher was quite far away, I could see that it had a relatively large fish in its bill.
Normally a kingfisher will beat its catch against a branch to subdue it before swallowing it head-first. I was hoping to be able to see if the kingfisher would be successful in swallowing this prey—it looked too big for it to swallow in one gulp, but I have been surprised in the past when herons and cormorant have swallowed large fish.
Alas, the kingfisher flew away before I could see if it would be successful in swallowing its prey.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Belted Kingfisher, Canon 7D, kingfisher and fish, Lorton VA, male Belted Kingfisher, Megaceryle alcyon, Occoquan Regional Park, Tamron 18-400mm | 5 Comments »
July 5, 2024 by Mike Powell
I photographed this male Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa) on Tuesday at Occoquan Regional Park. As I was working on the image, I noted that the dragonfly had an infestation of what look to be red water mites on at least two of its wings. You may need to click on the images to zoom in and you should be able to see some small red spherical objects that I am pretty sure are water mites.
According to Wikipedia, these water mites, likely from the genus Arrenurus, “establish an association for the purpose of transportation and nutrients, and attach to the host during the host’s transition from larva to adult.” Although these mites do not kill the dragonfly hosts, studies “show that parasitism by the mites affect the host’s longevity and fecundity by draining its tissue fluids, hampering copulation and interfering with sperm transfer.” Yikes!
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Arrenurus, Canon 7D, Libellula luctuosa, Lorton VA, male Widow Skimmer, mites, Occoquan Regional Park, Tamron 18-400mm, Widow Skimmer, Widow Skimmer dragonfly | 5 Comments »
July 4, 2024 by Mike Powell
This year I have rediscovered the joy of cross stitching. In the 1980s and 1990s I completed a considerable amount of cross stitch projects and have many of them hanging on my walls. I was originally introduced to the craft in about 1983 by a young lady friend who was always working on some stitching. I expressed a slight interest in what she was doing and the next thing I know she gifted me with some fabric, floss, patterns, and material. I quickly became hooked.
Over time, though, my life became busy and for almost two decades I stopped stitching. Two ladies at my church work at a wonderful local needlework shop called In Stitches Needlework that I first visited during the pandemic at their invitation. I bought a few new patterns, but did not really start getting back to stitching until earlier this year when I began to attend a twice monthly stitching session at the store. Stitchers of all skill levels sit around and work on individual projects and talk about a wide variety of topics—it is a wonderful community of people who provide me with lots of inspiration and encouragement.
The first photo shows my progress on my current big project, a pattern by Ink Circles called Reflections of Paris. This monochromatic piece includes a number of familiar Paris landmarks. I am about a third of the way through it right now (and already gone through two entire skeins of DMC floss). As you can probably tell, the motifs are repeated four times from the center, which is the square shown near the bottom of the image. As you look down the right and left edges, for example, you can start to see emerging portions of the same shapes that are visible along the top edge. I will be working on this patterns, which calls for 6944 stitches, for quite a while, but I find it to be really relaxing, so I look forward to doing a little stitching each day, if possible.
The second image shows a piece called Country Welcome that I stitched this spring. It was a pattern from the August 1990 issue of Leisure Arts, The Magazine. I used to subscribe to a number of different cross stitch magazines and have held on to the old issues. I tend to like cross stitch patterns that have a minimal color palette.
The final image shows another project that I completed this spring called “Do Everything in Love.” It was a free, but copyrighted, pattern by Silver Creek Samplers that I picked up at my local cross stitch store while checking out one day.
I realize that this posting is quite a change from my normal wildlife photos, but I thought it would be fun to share this other side of me with you all. On some of the days this summer when the weather and humidity make it tough to venture out with my camera, I know I can curl and stitch away in the comfort of my air-conditioned house.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Art, cross stitch | Tagged cross stitch, In Stitches, Ink Circles, Leisure Arts, Paris, Silver Creek Samplers | 12 Comments »
July 3, 2024 by Mike Powell
Can dragonflies smile? Although I realize that it is probably an anatomical impossibility, this female Great Blue Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula vibrans) sure did look like she was smiling at me when she posed for this little portrait last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
Great Blue Skimmers are quite common in our area during the summer and are relatively easy to identify because of their white faces.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Portraits, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Canon 7D, female Great Blue Skimmer, Great Blue Skimmer, Great Blue Skimmer dragonfly, Libellula vibrans, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA | 3 Comments »
July 2, 2024 by Mike Powell
I do not see Carolina Saddlebags dragonflies (Tramea carolina) very often and when I am lucky enough to spot one, it is almost always in flight. According to the Dragonflies of Northern Virginia website, “Carolina Saddlebags appear to stick to shallow, thickly vegetated ponds and marshlands,” which is a pretty good description of the place where I spotted this one last Tuesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The same website described the Carolina Saddlebag’s flight tendencies as “Strong flier, often high, rarely perches.”
I spent some time that day watching several male Calico Pennant dragonflies, which are red and has patterned wings, as they flew around over the pond—check out yesterday’s posting to see a photo of a perched male Calico Pennant. Suddenly a larger red dragonfly flew into view—Calico Pennants are approximately 1.3 inches (33 mm) in length, while Carolina Saddlebags are 2.0 inches (51 mm). I visually tracked the Carolina Saddlebags for a while and was able to follow it as it perched high on a stalk of vegetation in an adjacent field.
I was shooting into the light and at a sharp upward angle, which meant that I risked creating a silhouetted image of the back side of the dragonfly. I crouched a little to create a sky/trees background and waited for the dragonfly to give me a profile view. For a brief moment, my wishes came true and I captured the image below.
The image is far from perfect, but I like the way that it turned out. The focus on the dragonfly is a little soft, but I think it works well with the blurred background, creating an aesthetically pleasing little image.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Canon 7D, Carolina Saddlebags, Carolina Saddlebags dragonfly, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Tramea carolina, Woodbridge VA | 1 Comment »
July 1, 2024 by Mike Powell
When male Calico Pennant (Celithemis elisa) dragonflies are immature, they have yellow markings on their bodies similar to those of the females. As the males mature, those markings turn bright red. I was thrilled to spot several mature male Calico Pennants last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife, the first adult males of this species that I have encountered this year.
The bright body markings and the prominent wing patches really make this dragonfly stand out, although they are quite small, about 1.2 inches (30 mm) in length.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Calico Pennant, Calico Pennant dragonfly, Canon 7D, Celithemis elisa, male Calico Pennant, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA | 5 Comments »
June 30, 2024 by Mike Powell
I spotted quite a few beautiful Zebra Swallowtail butterflies this past Tuesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The all seemed to be in constant motion, rarely perching for more than a split second and flying in unpredictable patterns.
Eventually I was able to capture a shot of a distant Zebra Swallowtail when it stopped to sip from a milkweed plant. I really like the composition of the photo, despite the fact that the main subject occupies only a small portion of the frame.
I could not help but notice that the butterfly is looking a bit tattered, with its long swallowtails already gone. Later in the season, I am sure that I will see many more butterflies and dragonflies with damage to their wings from the wear-and-tear of daily life. I am always amazed by the way that they are able to compensate and continue to survive. As I get older and slow down a bit, I try to remind myself to focus on those things that I can do and not on the ones that may be becoming increasingly challenging for me.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Butterflies, Flowers, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer | Tagged Canon 7D, milkweed, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA, Zebra Swallowtail, Zebra Swallowtail butterfly | 9 Comments »
June 29, 2024 by Mike Powell
There has been a recent explosion of dragonflies at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, my favorite location for photographing these beautiful aerial acrobats. I spotted hundreds and hundreds of dragonflies this past Tuesday as I explored the trails at the refuge.
One of the species that I encountered most frequently that day was the Needham’s Skimmer (Libellula needhami). The Dragonflies of Northern Virginia website provided a wonderful description of the Needham’s Skimmer. “This dashing summer dragonfly, a member of the king skimmer genus, makes quite a splash at the shallow, marshy wetlands it prefers. Relatively skittish, it spends more time on the wing and less time perching than other king skimmers.”
At this time of the year the males and females have a similar coloration, but as they mature the males will turn reddish-orange. The dragonfly in this photo is a female—it is easy to tell from the terminal appendages at the end of the abdomen. I love the bright yellow vein on the wings of this dragonfly, a feature that is shared by the males as well as the females of the species.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Canon 7D, female Needham's Skimmer, Libellula needhami, Needham's Skimmer, Needham's Skimmer dragonfly, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA | 2 Comments »
June 28, 2024 by Mike Powell
The breeze was kicking up a bit and this Halloween Pennant dragonfly seemed to be holding on for dear life when I spotted in on Tuesday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. It seems to be that it would be safer and more secure to grasp the stalk a bit lower, but, like other members of the pennant family of dragonflies, this Halloween Pennant is a bit of a thrill seeker.
As the old adage, often attributed to John A. Shedd, states, “A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” Sometimes, I think, it is good for us to step out of our comfort zones, which can turn into ruts if we are not careful, and take a risk by living life on the edge, like this Halloween Pennant dragonfly.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Canon 7D, Celithemis eponina, halloween pennant, Halloween Pennant dragonfly, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Woodbridge VA | 9 Comments »
June 27, 2024 by Mike Powell
I was excited to spot this female Unicorn Clubtail dragonfly (Arigomphus villosipes) on Tuesday at Occoquan Bay Wildlife Refuge, one of the few times that I have seen a female of this species. I am not sure if the females hang out in different areas from the males, which perch prominently on low vegetation or logs at water’s edge, or if, like some human females, they are simply playing “hard to get” and wait to meet the males on their own terms.
As noted on the excellent Dragonflies of Northern Virginia website, Unicorn Clubtails are “the only clubtail in Northern VA that prefers ponds and marshes, over streams and rivers…our only clubtail that can be found in completely still, stagnant water.” I know that is true for the males that I have featured already a couple of time this season on this blog, but is it also true for female Unicorn Clubtails?
How do you explain the behavior of females? It is one of the mysteries of life.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Arigomphus villosipes, Canon 7D, female Unicorn Clubtail, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm, Unicorn Clubtail, Unicorn Clubtail dragonfly, Woodbridge VA | 1 Comment »
June 26, 2024 by Mike Powell
After mating, many male damselflies hold on to the female as she deposits eggs in order to keep any rival males from interfering with the process. The male grasps the head of the female with the terminal appendages of his abdomen in the “tandem” position and the two linked damselflies move about from spot to spot as the female inserts eggs into floating vegetation.
Last Friday at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge I managed to capture this image of a Slender Bluet (Enallagma traviatum) couple as the female arched her body, made a little slit in the vegetation and inserted eggs, a process known as “ovipositing.”
I am not absolutely certain I have correctly identified the damselfly species—there are a lot of bluet species—but I have made my call primarily on the basis of the markings on the abdomens of the male and the female. I intend to post this shot in a dragonfly/damselfly forum on Facebook and will update this posting if one of the experts in the group corrects my initial identification.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in damselfly, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Canon 7D, damselfly ovipositing, Enallagma traviatum, Fort Belvoir VA, Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge, slender bluet, Slender Bluet damselfly, Tamron 18-400mm | 5 Comments »
June 25, 2024 by Mike Powell
During a short visit to Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge last Friday I spotted my first Banded Pennant dragonfly (Celithemis fasciata) of the year. Pennant dragonflies like this one often perch precariously on the very tips of vegetation, which causes them to flap about in even the slightest of breezes, like a pennant.
Banded Pennants are somewhat uncommon and in some years I have not seen a single one, so I was happy to encounter this handsome male, the only one I saw all day. As you can see in all of the photos below, the dragonfly’s upper left wing did not seem to straighten out as much as the other three wings. From what I could see, though, the dragonfly was able to fly quite well despite this injury or deformity.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Banded Pennant, Banded Pennant dragonfly, Canon 7D, Celithemis fasciata, Fort Belvoir VA, Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge, Tamron 18-400mm | 4 Comments »
June 24, 2024 by Mike Powell
I was thrilled to spot my first Swift Setwing dragonfly (Dythemis velox) of the season this past Friday at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge. These little dragonflies perch in a distinctive pose with their wings pulled forward, which looked to some scientist like the “ready-set-go” position of a sprinter and is reportedly the reason for the name of the species.
Eight years ago I spotted my first Swift Setwing dragonfly ever at this same location. This primarily southern species had never before have been documented in Fairfax County, Virginia, the county where I live, so it is kind of special for me to see them each year. (You can see details of that first sighting in my 25 June 2016 posting Swift Setwing dragonfly.)
Swift Setwings like to perch facing the water on overhanging vegetation, so it is a challenge to get a shot of one without getting my feet wet. I had to find a little visual tunnel through the vegetation to get this shot, but I did manage to stay dry.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Canon 7D, Dythemis velox, Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge, Swift Setwing, Swift Setwing dragonfly, Tamron 18-400mm | 2 Comments »
June 22, 2024 by Mike Powell
There must be something special about this perch. One week after I photographed a Unicorn Clubtail dragonfly (Arigomphus villosipes) on a log at the edge of a small pond at Occoquan Regional Park, I spotted another Unicorn Clubtail in the exact same spot. Perhaps it was even the same individual, hanging out in the same old places, as this wildlife photographer is wont to do.
The edge of the pond is very mucky, so I couldn’t get any closer to give you a better view of the little “horn” that sticks up between the eyes and gives rise to the name “unicorn.” You’ll have to trust me on that point or check out a 2017 blog post entitled Unicorn in Northern Virginia that includes a better view of the unicorn “horn.”
We are in the midst of a real heat wave, with daily temperatures soaring into the mid-90’s (35 degrees C), so my wildlife forays are shorter than normal. Don’t worry, I am taking it slow, seeking shade whenever possible, and carrying water with me. Forecasters predict that this heat wave will continue for at least another week. Yikes!
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Arigomphus villosipes, Canon 7D, Lorton VA, Occoquan Regional Park, Tamron 18-400mm, Unicorn Clubtail, Unicorn Clubtail dragonfly | Leave a Comment »
June 21, 2024 by Mike Powell
When I spotted this Gray Petaltail dragonfly (Tachopteryx thoreyi) on Monday at Occoquan Regional Park, I could see that it was feasting on some kind of insect that it had caught, but I could not get close enough to identify the prey. Dragonflies are fierce predators that feed on a wide variety of insects, sometimes including other dragonflies or damselflies.
When I examine the image carefully I can just make out the wings and legs and possibly an eye of the victim, but that does not help me to identify it. The dragonfly was perched high on the trunk of the tree and when I tried to move closer to get a better shot, the sharp angle made it even harder to see what was going on. I was happy enough to capture this profile view of the Gray Petaltail, which would otherwise have been pretty well camouflaged by the rough bark of the tree.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Canon 7D, Lorton VA, Occoquan Regional Park, Tachopteryx thoreyi, Tamron 18-400mm | 3 Comments »
June 20, 2024 by Mike Powell
Many dragonflies have transparent wings that seem to disappear when they are flying, making them look even smaller and hard to detect. Male Widow Skimmer dragonflies (Libellula luctuosa), however, have such large bi-colored patches on their wings that they look almost like butterflies when in flight, an impression heightened by the fluttering way that they fly.
I was thrilled when I spotted this male Widow Skimmer—the females of this species do not have the white wing patches—on Monday at Occoquan Regional Park. The dragonfly flew by me numerous times and I watched and waiting, hoping that it would land. My patience eventually paid off and I was able to capture this shot that shows off its wings beautifully. This may not be the most artistic image that I have ever captured, but it is a good one to use for the purpose of identification.
One of the coolest things about photography is that it can be both scientific and artistic, allowing me to be as geeky as I want in either domain.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, Summer, wildlife | Tagged Canon 7D, Libellula luctuosa, Lorton VA, male Widow Skimmer, Occoquan Regional Park, Tamron 18-400mm, Widow Skimmer, Widow Skimmer dragonfly | 6 Comments »
June 19, 2024 by Mike Powell
Sable Clubtail dragonflies (Stenogomphurus rogersi) are uncommon in my area. This dragonfly species is generally found only in very small numbers, has a short flight period, and requires very specific habitats, preferably a small, clean forest stream. There is only one location in my area where I have found Sable Clubtails in the past and some years I have not seen a single one.
I was therefore really excited on Monday when I spotted what I thought might be a Sable Clubtail. I was not sure of my identification, though, because this dragonfly was in a different location at the park, not along the stream where I had seen Sable Clubtails in the past.
When I returned home and examined my photos on my computer, I was shocked to see that the dragonfly was a female–I am pretty sure that all of the Sable Clubtails that I have previously seen were males. For the sake of comparison, I have added a photo of a male that was part of a posting I did on 10 June 2024 entitled Sable Clubtail dragonfly (male). If you look closely at the tip of the abdomen (the “tail”) of each dragonfly, you will see different shaped terminal appendages, which are key factors in helping to identify the gender of a dragonfly.
Different dragonfly species have different courting behaviors. In some cases, the males and females are present in the same area, but in other cases, the females remain in a different area until they are actually ready for mating. I looked through my resources and on-line to see if I could find any information about the behavior of Sable Clubtail females, but came up empty-handed.
Where do female Sable Clubtails like to hang out? With a sample size of only one, I certainly can’t come to any conclusions, but I will continue to keep my eyes open and perhaps I will encounter another one.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, spring, wildlife | Tagged Canon 7D, Female Sable Clubtail, Lorton VA, Occoquan Regional Park, Sable Clubtail, Sable Clubtail dragonfly, Stenogomphurus rogersi, Tamron 18-400mm | 2 Comments »
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