A short time ago, I published a blog post with images of female Eastern Pondhawk dragonflies. During my recent kayak outing, I found lots of Eastern Pondhawks … and all were males! Males are identified as their abdomens change colors from the green of the female and juvenile males, to a beautiful blue color. This blue color begins at the back end and the color changes, moving forward. When they mature, the males have a solid blue color. Here are some of my favorite images of the male Eastern Pondhawks (Erythemis simplicicollis):
The plant with the round seedheads are Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) plants, growing in the waters of the Conservation Area. Wood Ducks forage on the seeds of this plant. If you missed the post of the female Eastern Pondhawks, here is the link:
Photographic Equipment Used:
- Canon 5D Mark 3 body
- Canon EF 100-400mm, f/4.5-5.6 telephoto lens + Canon 1.4x TC (all shot at 560mm)
- Handheld from a kayak, with IS “On”
- ISO 400
- Aperture f/8
- Shutter 1/320 sec. to 1/1600 sec.