Backyard and Beyond

Starting out from Brooklyn, an amateur naturalist explores our world.

As John Burroughs said, “The place to observe nature is where you are.”

Cyclops

Do you know how hard it is to get a photo of a Common Green Darner? Anax junius. Well, for one thing, they are not one of the perching dragonflies, but every once and a while they do have to take a break. At about three inches long, these are one of the largest species of dragonfly in the region. This picture was taken Saturday, a very windy day in the mid-60s, in Green-Wood, and was one of only three or four seen during an hour and half walk. The season is definitely winding down.

This is a female or, perhaps, an immature male (mature males have a blue abdomen). This species migrates down the coast this time of year.

On what we don’t know about dragonfly sex.

mthew

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5 responses to “Cyclops”

  1. Out Walking the Dog

    Very nice photo of a handsome insect. And, yes,I do know how hard it must have been to get that shot. I tried to photograph a monarch yesterday with no success. Flit flit flit. It ignored my instructions to “just settle down, already.” Having same trouble trying to photograph the rats in my area at night. Slip, whisk, dart. Animals can be so uncooperative.

    Reply
  2. mthew

    One of the secrets of insect photography is freezing them to immobility for a few minutes. Not really my style, though.

    Reply
  3. Springtime in November « Backyard and Beyond

    […] the unseasonal sightings: a host of Green Darners were buzzing around the little hillside meadow in front of the the Maryland Monument. Along the […]

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  4. Life Aquatic « Backyard and Beyond

    […] to appear in this part of the world is the three-inch-long Green Darner. It is also one of the last we see in the fall. Some populations are migratory, traveling up and down the coast. Yes, a migratory insect. This […]

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  5. Common Green Darner | Backyard and Beyond

    […] this three-inch long darner is usually the first dragonfly seen in the spring and one of the last in the fall (a female is pictured in the […]

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