In my dragonfly archives, I have more pictures of blue dashers than any other species. (At least, I believe so. As noted in a previous post, dragonfly identification is a tough study, for me.) While I can’t claim absolute confidence, I’m reasonably certain that all of these are blue dashers.
Please correct me, if I am wrong!
Today I took a walk with sister-friend and fellow poet Kay Middleton. We walked further together than I would have walked alone, and I’m grateful for the extra miles. We sat on the beach a while, before leaving, where it was very windy and very sunny. Now I have sand in my pockets and twigs in my hair and a hint of sunburn–a happy trio of souvenirs.
I want a dragonfly field guide, though I suspect many of my dragonfly photos would defy identification.
Dragonfly identification seems to depend, in large part, on minutiae. “Major” identifying characteristics include eye configuration and wing vein patterns, details that are hard to spot as a dragonfly zips past. Even when they perch, allowing close inspection of eyes and wings, they seldom give me enough time to catalogue the minor variations of thorax and abdomen that are key in separating related species. In some cases, identification is further complicated by differences between males and females.
The more I learn, the less I know. Now, every time I photograph a dragonfly, I want to say, “Pardon me, but could you turn to your left? Your right? Raise your wings a bit? Yes. Very good… Now, here’s a pen. Please write down your name.”
I don’t know why I haven’t given up. Even my successes feel incomplete. Every identification is tentative. I can never say, with complete confidence, “These are Eastern Amberwing dragonflies.” I’ll always need to add, “Please correct me, if I am wrong.”
My obsession with dragonflies flared during a particularly perfect summer, when hordes of them settled in the back yard. They fairly swarmed that year, gold and green and blue jewels glittering in the heat. In the seasons since, I’ve learned to call a few by name, though I am hardly a dragonfly expert. A field guide is on my wish list, but until then I’ll do the best I can with my camera and the internet.
Eastern Pondhawk
Halloween Pennant
Eastern Amberwing
Blue Dasher
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Once I started noticing them, I found them everywhere. While the above pictures were all taken in my own back yard, the photos below were taken at Norfolk Botanical Garden (top), at First Landing State Park (middle), and near the beach at Sandbridge (bottom).
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Eastern Pondhawk
Today I dreamed of summer. In honor of longer, warmer days, I rescued a few videos from the cold darkness of digital storage.
Rae Spencer 