I am always complaining I can't get close enough to many of the subjects I want to shoot, well I was able to get to the minimum focus distance (12') of the lens I was using. I actually had to back up a bit which presented the challenge of getting a good angle and not getting more grass between me and the dragonflies.
Hey Matt, nice work. You have Whitetails here. Your first one is a Common Whitetail, female. Your other two are male. As he matures his abdomen turns a nice frosty blue-ish white. One of our most common Dragonflies. You can see in your second image the abdomen already starting to pale. Your third image shows a more mature male, he has nearly acheived his complete pruinosity, but one more part of him will turn white also--the lower wing bars closest to his thorax will sport a white spread.
ReplyDeleteWe have another, a male Skimmer, that becomes pruinose as he matures, a Widow Skimmer, and you will see an abundance of these as well, in more grassy areas. Your Common Whitetails like the wet areas. I hope you're hooked and that we'll see more unusual ones from your favorite river hangouts. The more pristine the river, the more likely you'll find a less common one emerge.
Thank you for all that information! I am not informed on these guys at all; what you have offered here is great and I really appreciate your taking time and sharing your knowledge. Cheers! Matt
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