Common Green Darner (male)

A Common Green Darner dragonfly (Anax junius) was observed during a photowalk with Michael Powell along a mid-size stream at an undisclosed location in Prince William County, Virginia USA.

While I was searching for the mythical Appalachian Snaketail dragonfly (Ophiogomphus incurvatus), Mike was tracking several Common Green Darners hawking flying insects over a large field near the stream. Thanks to Mike for giving me a heads-up when one of the darners landed in the field.

13 MAY 2021 | PNC. Wm. County | Common Green Darner (male)

This individual is a male, as indicated by his terminal appendages. Sometimes, as in this case, identifying sex can be challenging. Sexing Common Green Darner dragonflies is a blog post I created that illustrates several field marks can be used to identify the gender of female and male Anax junius.

The Backstory

I think the location that Mike and I visited provides the right habitat for Appalachian Snaketail dragonflies. Although we didn’t find the target species on the day of our visit I remain convinced O. incurvatus is there, waiting to be discovered.

Tech Tips

Notice the tips of the dragonfly’s cerci are near the bottom of the photo frame. I prefer to give the subject a little more “breathing room” but this image is the best one from the set of photos I shot and it is what it is — as close as I could get without spooking the dragonfly, albeit less than perfectly composed.

Tags: Anax junius, Appalachian Snaketail dragonfly, Common Green Darner dragonfly, Family Aeshnidae (Darners), male, Ophiogomphus incurvatus, terminal appendages

This entry was posted on June 11, 2021 at 4:00 am and is filed under Aperture, Canon 430EX II Speedlite, digital photography, dragonflies, education, Lightroom, natural science, Panasonic DMC-FZ300, Photoshop, photowalking, wildlife photography. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “Common Green Darner (male)”

Mike Powell Says:
June 11, 2021 at 8:01 am | Reply
Beautiful shot, Walter, of this colorful dragonfly. As for the Appalachian Snaketail, I haven’t given up hope of finding one, though it may be getting too late to spot one this season.
Wally Jones Says:
June 13, 2021 at 12:16 pm | Reply
I think it’s a terrific photograph! If it was easy to get perfect composition, we would all do it.

Looks like a young male, with that beautiful purplish abdomen?

walter sanford's photoblog