A Common Whitetail dragonfly (Plathemis lydia) was spotted near the Painted Turtle Pond Environmental Study Area, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Prince William County, Virginia USA.
This individual is a mature male, as indicated by the white coloration of his abdomen, pattern of wing spots, and terminal appendages. He is perched vertically on the corner of a storage shed.
16 AUG 2019 | Occoquan Bay NWR | Common Whitetail (mature male)
This male has mated many times, as indicated by the scratch marks on his abdomen.
Males that have mated often have marks on their abdomen where the female legs have scratched them. This is especially obvious in species in which males develop pruinosity, as the pruinosity on the mid-abdomen is scratched off, and the signs are visible at some distance. Source Credit: Paulson, Dennis (2011-12-19). Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East (Princeton Field Guides) (Kindle Locations 390-392). Princeton University Press. Kindle Edition.
Gear Talk
“Expose for the highlights” is a well-known rule of thumb in photography, that is, adjust the camera settings so the highlights are exposed perfectly.
Mature male Common Whitetail dragonflies are challenging to photograph because they prefer perching in direct sunlight, so it’s easy to blow out the highlights on their bright white abdomen. After a few test shots, I was able to adjust the flash power ratio so that the subject is exposed properly.
Copyright © 2019 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Tags: Common Whitetail dragonfly, Family Libellulidae (Skimmers), gear talk, mature male, Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Painted Turtle Pond, Plathemis lydia, pruinescence, terminal appendages
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