Spring dragonfly by cjwhite

Spring dragonfly

This is the first dragonfly I've seen this year. It was nice enough to hang on the maple tree.


Thank you so much for your kind comments on yesterday's pic! Justin came home from the hospital this morning and is doing well. :0)

Thank you, @robv for your help! :0)

I posted another view in my other album. Hopefully, it's less scary.
http://365project.org/cjwhite/my-little-world/03-20-2012
@robv I need your help! Is this a type of darner?
March 21st, 2012  
Can't remember the last time I saw a dragonfly. I will be on the look out for them.
March 21st, 2012  
Beautiful photo. I would think it is a damselfly just by the way it is sitting.

Glad he is doing well.
March 21st, 2012  
What a beauty, Carolyn! I never ever see anything like these when I'm out shooting. Wonderful clarity and color. A winner.
March 21st, 2012  
Wow! He's amost scary looking. Nice capture!
March 21st, 2012  
Oh! I can't wait until the dragonflies return. I'm fanatical about them. Terrific shot!
March 21st, 2012  
Oh… scary looking dragonfly, love it
March 21st, 2012  
great close up!!
March 21st, 2012  
i've never seen a dragonfly like this...pretty
March 21st, 2012  
Beautiful!
March 21st, 2012  
I can't believe you spied a dragonfly already! Lovely!
March 21st, 2012  
Lovely capture! Great to see this early in spring!
March 21st, 2012  
A great close up, but I must allow the experts to give you advice onthis
March 21st, 2012  
Great capture!
March 21st, 2012  
@kimmistephens @cjwhite It looks like a Dragonfly, there are a few that will hold their wings vertically over their back similar to Damselflies. Especially when newly emerged. Then there are the Lestidae which are damselflies but hold their wings like dragonflies. Yikes! Exceptions to every rule! Nice shot, beautiful beast.
March 21st, 2012  
@robv Thank you, Robert! I do think it was newly emerged. It let me get fairly close. It was windy and he was hanging tight on the leaf. :0)
March 21st, 2012  
Very nice.
March 21st, 2012  
I thought it was a stick at first, he's all camoflaged:)
March 21st, 2012  
very nicely done
March 21st, 2012  
@robv sweet! Do you know which family?
March 21st, 2012  
Great capture. We saw a lot of them here last year
March 21st, 2012  
great capture & pov, great contrast with the background
March 21st, 2012  
He's a bit camouflaged, too. Good eye.
March 21st, 2012  
Great capture in the camoflage
March 21st, 2012  
Nice capture of the bug! Looks like he's hanging on to that leaf pretty tightly!
March 21st, 2012  
awesome, so hard to achieve this clarity, love your macros
March 21st, 2012  
Interesting wings... like they're still developing or something? Neat shot!
March 21st, 2012  
Great close-up. Very clear.
March 21st, 2012  
Great shot and close-up. What a monster!
March 21st, 2012  
incredible!!!! they are so wonderful inspring creatures. i really envy you for all your discoveries.
March 21st, 2012  
He's huge! Nice close up
March 21st, 2012  
Great eye. I don't know if I would have seen that
March 21st, 2012  
That does look rather large, are they dangerous?
March 21st, 2012  
@claireuk No, they're harmless.
March 21st, 2012  
WOW - I totally didn't even see the dragonfly he blends in so well!!!!
My goodness - he's huge!!!!
Careful, he might get ya ;)
March 21st, 2012  
Great find!
March 21st, 2012  
Great close up and capture
March 21st, 2012  
Wow, already! Interesting that you got him/her with the wings folded! Nice catch.
March 21st, 2012  
He's so black. I've never seen one like that. Your macros are so sharp and clear. Amazing.
March 21st, 2012  
Nice detail!
March 21st, 2012  
Nice capture!
March 22nd, 2012  
oh I have to go dragonfly searching at Huntley Meadows soon! This is wonderful!
March 22nd, 2012  
Hey, no fair capturing dragons before me! :)
March 22nd, 2012  
great shot!
March 22nd, 2012  
great capture...everything is popping out so early this yr.
March 22nd, 2012  
very cool find! it's so camo'd
March 23rd, 2012  
@kimmistephens I think it's in the Gomphidae, maybe the genus Gomphus. The dragonflies that habitually hold their wings like damselflies are Indo/Australian. A few species in one or two oddball families, (Cordulephya the shutwings) and I found a few pictures of teneral Epiophlebia, in the family Epiophlebiidae(Indo/Asian) once considered transitional between dragonflies and damselflies.
March 23rd, 2012  
@robv Thank you, Robert. A Common Sanddragon maybe?
March 23rd, 2012  
Could be, some of the Gomphus species look very similar. The females have a narrower tail end like this one, without a specimen and keys to the species I couldn't say for sure which. Very difficult to picture book ID them.
March 23rd, 2012  
@robv Thank you so much for your time!!! I'm happy to know I was at least in the ballpark with my ID. The 365 has really gotten me interested in insects, birds, and wildflowers. Insects are my favorite.
March 23rd, 2012  
It's pretty clear they're my favorite as well, I try to branch out though.
March 23rd, 2012  
@cjwhite @robv I'm falling in love with the non-insect arthropods
March 23rd, 2012  
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