Hovering blue-eyed darner dragonfly


There are few insects that appeal to me as much as dragonflies.  Both the aquatic nymph stage and the adult form have fascinating characteristics that are remarkable, and the adult colouration and patterns are often eye-catching.

As I walked around Munson Pond yesterday I came across an area busy with the buzzing of multiple dragonfly species.  The largest and most colourful of the throng was this blue-eyed darner that I photographed.  Dragonflies are highly territorial and will defend an area with great veracity.  Sometimes they perch on a favourite branch from which they hawk prey or drive competitors away, other times they hover in one spot for long periods.

Everything was just right for me to capture this male (you can see the claspers at the end of the tail, top image) on camera.  The early morning light lit it up nicely, there were no obstacles in front of or behind to affect the image appeal or focusing function of the camera, and he posed nicely for several seconds at a time.

Blue-eyed darners are western dragonflies and can be found from central BC all the way down into Central America.  What amazing creatures they are!

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com 

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