Damsels in the stream

Images of undisturbed subjects in their natural environment. All subject types.

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MarkSturtevant
Posts: 1946
Joined: Sat Nov 21, 2015 6:52 pm
Location: Michigan, U.S.A.
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Damsels in the stream

Post by MarkSturtevant »

Sorry I have not posted for a while - work has kept me very busy, unfortunately. Here are some pictures of damselflies.

For this first one, I foolishly waded out into a sandy river with the big camera to take this late afternoon picture of bluet damselflies. People familiar with this group may appreciate how tricky these things are to ID, but it looks like a mixed group here. I’ve tentatively identified the three in the middle to be azure bluets (Enallagma aspersum), and the ones on the far left and right as skimming bluets (E. geminatum). There is a bit of drama on the far right where a male skimming bluet has landed cheekily behind a mated female azure bluet who is being guarded by a male. The female is saying “bug off!” to the intrusive male by beating her wings and arching her abdomen.
ImageDamselflies by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

Next up are some pictures of the largest damselfly in the U.S., the great spreadwing (Archilestes grandis). Here is a male.
ImageGreat spreadwing damselfly by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

I made what was for me a curious discovery about this species, which is that they lay eggs well above streams. Here is a mated pair. The female in the rear is inserting eggs into a branch that is about 8 feet above a stream. The hatched nymphs must drop to the water below.
ImageGreat spreadwings laying eggs by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr

Finally, this picture is a bit of fantasy. There was a swarm of male and female ebony jewelwing damselflies (Calopteryx maculata) congregating on a spot along a stream. I took many pictures of the same spot, and this picture is made by using layer masks to insert several of the damselflies into a single scene. Unlike the great spreadwings, you can see that females of this species partially submerge themselves in the water to lay eggs.
ImageDamselfly swarm by Mark Sturtevant, on Flickr
Thanks for looking!
Mark Sturtevant
Dept. of Still Waters

Beatsy
Posts: 2105
Joined: Fri Jul 05, 2013 3:10 am
Location: Malvern, UK

Re: Damsels in the stream

Post by Beatsy »

Really like this set. I saw herds of blue ones at a lake today, but had the wrong lenses with me.

The "fantasy" is entirely believable! Great job getting reflections and ripples mismatch-free too.

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