A Red DragonflyAugust 24, 2008
 


  Earlier this month while on the return part of my morning walk, I noticed a tiny red dragonfly flying nearby. Or was it a damselfly? I couldn't quite make up my mind, because it was only an inch or so long (or 3 cm, if we're going metric).
 
Red dragonfly, probably a meadowhawk
 
  The dragonfly (or damselfly) obligingly sat still while I worked my way closer and closer, but even thru the viewfinder, I couldn't decide which it was. (At home, seeing the images themselves made ID easy.)

After taking enough photos, I moved onward.

And the dragonfly followed me.

More than that, it came to rest next to me in an extremely characteristic drooped wing position.

 
Red dragonfly, probably a meadowhawk
 
  No doubt, it was a dragonfly!

At home, I frustrated myself while trying to determine the type of dragonfly. The best I can come up with is a Meadowhawk, of which there are about a dozen species. All the same, I like the name Meadowhawk. It suits a dragonfly very well.

Photo note: Both photos were taken with the Pentax *1st D and the SMC-A* 200mm macro lens a few weeks ago in the Toftrees game land behind Cooper's Pond, State College, Pennsylvania.



Two other dragonflies

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