During a photowalk with Michael Powell in Fairfax County, Virginia USA, Mike spotted an American Rubyspot damselfly (Hetaerina americana) perched facing the Potomac River. This individual is a male, as indicated by his red coloration, hamules, and terminal appendages.
All of the photos in the following gallery look similar, although there are subtle differences.
The first photo is the “record shot” for this individual, that is, “get a shot, any shot.” Actually, this one turned out to be a good photo! The camera was set for an aperture of f/5.6 for all shots in the gallery. This viewing angle provided the clearest look at his terminal appendages given the relatively shallow depth-of-field.
08 JUN 2020 | Fairfax County, VA | American Rubyspot (male)
The next photo shows a better look at the damselfly’s metallic ruby red face. Handsome!
08 JUN 2020 | Fairfax County, VA | American Rubyspot (male)
Finally, I just like the look of the “light” in the last photo. Dark and moody.
08 JUN 2020 | Fairfax County, VA | American Rubyspot (male)
Related Resource: American Rubyspot – a blog post by Michael Powell
Copyright © 2020 Walter Sanford. All rights reserved.
Tags: American Rubyspot damselfly, Broad-winged Damselflies, Family Calopterygidae, hamules, Hetaerina americana, male, Potomac River, terminal appendages
June 24, 2020 at 11:38 am |
Beautiful shots, Walter. I love the coloration and overall look of this damselfly species, one that I rarely see.
June 24, 2020 at 11:46 am |
Thanks, Mike. I must say your macro shots might be better than my max telephoto images. Mr. Rubyspot was not only handsome, he was unusually cooperative!