Many of the trails at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge are now littered with fallen leaves as we move deeper into autumn. In my area the colors are not as bright and intense as in New England, where I grew up, but the muted colors here are a sign nonetheless that the seasons are changing.
Every year I try to get shots of dragonflies and damselflies perched on the colorful foliage. It is tough, though, to get these beautiful little creatures to cooperate, even though I try to communicate my desires to them telepathically. I doubt it was because of my weak attempts at communication, but on Monday a Big Bluet damselfly (Enallagma durum) perched momentarily on one of the brown, crunchy leaves on the ground and I managed to capture this shot.
I really like the way that the bright blue of the damselfly make it really “pop” in an environment of mostly muted colors. In a simple, uncomplicated way, this modest photo is a symbol to me of the arrival of autumn. For the record, there is no damselflies species called “Autumn bluet,” but I thought the title was a little more punchy as “Autumn bluet,” rather than “Bluet in autumn.” I apologize if I caused anyone to search frantically in their identification guides for a new species.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 