Friday, June 12, 2009

Dragonfly or Damselfly?

About a week ago I was walking (limping!) on the side of my house when this dragonfly-or damselfly-appeared. Of course I just 'happened' to have my trusty camera with me!

*Click to enlarge

I'm not good with identification so I'm wondering if Randy (Randy and Megs Garden Paradise) would like to comment? Or, Kim (Wishnik Woods)? Both Randy, and Kim, are wonderful photographers, with dragonflies/damselflies frequently the subjects of their photographs! How about Beckie (Dragonfly Corner)? Or, Rusty (Dragonfly Garden)? Maybe one (or more) of you guys would know.

*Click to enlarge

It's probably just a very common insect--but I also just wanted to share the photos I took--actually there are probably about 40 more of the same thing; I just chose these 5.

*Click to enlarge

I adjusted the lighting on the above photo, thus the blue-ish background, and 'jewel-like' colors of the 'specimen'. I kind of like it! If you look closely, that insect really does sparkle-with or without-my shade enhancement.

*Click to enlarge

There were actually 2 of these, but I couldn't tell which was which when I took photos, as they flew around continuously.

*Click to enlarge

Have a great day!

--Today I am thankful for dragonflies and damselflies.




We have an ID! Thanks to Randy, Beckie and Kim!


From Randy: "It is a female Ebony Jewelwing, a broad-winged damselfly. The wings on males do not have the white stigmas like the females."

From Beckie: "This is a 'Blackwing Damselfly'. Dragonflies rest with their wings outstretched while the damselfly rests with it's wings folded. It lays it's eggs on the water where the nymphs develop through several stages before their skin spilts and the damselfly emerges. Like the dragonfly they eat mosquitoes and other aquatic insects." note: Beckie's description is so close it is accurate enough for me;-)

From Kim: "This is a pair of Ebony Jewelwings. Their breeding habitat is in streams, but occasionally wander to gardens some distance away."

Wow! You guys are the best! Thanks:-)

50 comments:

  1. I love dragonflies! We have quite a few, I guess because of the little pond. My kids were so afraid of them, but not me. I am fascinated by them. I never seem to have my camera close by when I need it though. Your pictures are great! And, I hope you get better really soon! You're in my prayers!!
    Hugs, Linda

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jan, I'm pretty sure that's a damselfly. They don't open their wings flat like dragonflies do, their bodies are slimmer, and their eyes are closer together.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Attempt 5 the browser keeps crashing. You have a broad-winged damselfly here. It is a female Ebony Jewelwing, you almost named it with your description. The wings on males do not have the white stigmas like the females.

    ReplyDelete
  4. It is a fine insect and I sure don't know the difference between dragonfly and damselfly. Both are pretty. You are a good photographer to have caught them sitting for just a second.

    Sorry you feel badly but glad they know what it is. I tried to leave a comment on the last post but something was down of course. So I am glad it is fixed today.

    ReplyDelete
  5. It has the head of dragonfly, but what do I know, I am partial to dragonflies. Great pictures

    ReplyDelete
  6. Jans, beautiful pictures! This is a 'Blackwing Damselfly'. Dragonflies rest with their wings outstretched while the damselfly rests with it's wings folded. It lays it's eggs on the water where the nymphs develop through several stages before their skin spilts and the damselfly emerges. Like the dragonfly they eat mosquitoes and other aquatic insects.

    They are such delicate creatures and are a joy to watch. I am impressed that you were able to get such great photos.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Damselfly huh? Well, whatever, great shots!

    ReplyDelete
  8. That is beautiful. Nice capture and glad I stopped by to look at it. Never new there was a damselfly before.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great pictures. I didn't know the difference until I started reading Randy's blog. I love seeing them in macro :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Great job capturing it! I need to venture down to the pond again to see if I see any of them around here. Last year I saw so many of them and enjoyed getting a few pictures. They are such cool looking creatures.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Damselflies are such beautiful creatures. Great photos!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Take it easy my friend and get better soon, hope the "boat" helps.
    Don´t you worry I can wait no problem at all, I can go around you blog and others and have lots to do.
    To look at all the bugs and it is difficult to know the namn of all of them.
    I take photo of them to and like you ask other people to give my the name.

    I like you turtle garden - when I was in Tunisia a few weeks ago, they had real turtle in the botanical garden i was visiting, I will send you a photo of it.

    /Maria Berg, that say thank you for telling me that you think I am a good photographer.

    PS. Go to http://mariaberg-foto.blogspot.com/2009/04/tavling-nr-2-vinn-en-forstoring.html
    You can participate in one of my give away, one of my photo. It will be written in English down that page.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wow, you and your camera were made for each other. Great shots!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Beautiful. Looks quite different from the one i posted on my photoblog minutes ago. The third images is stunning.

    ReplyDelete
  15. The general rule is, Damselflies wings run up the body as shown is your picture and Dragonflies are at 90degrees to the body.

    They are so beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Lovely photos you are so clever I have great difficulty catching anything that moves.

    ReplyDelete
  17. My son, who knows about these things, says damselfly wings go backwards, whereas dragonfly wings are at right-angles to the body, like an aeroplane. He's told me this at least 100 times, but I still call them all dragonflies!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Glad to see that you are trying to get out and about a little bit. Those are very nice pictures of the damselfly. Looks like you have a few ideas as to which your damselfly might be.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hi Jan ... I was going to say damsel fly too .. they are pretty little things though and you got some great pictures of it !
    Hope you are feeling better girl : )

    ReplyDelete
  20. Jan, this creature is beautiful whatever it is, and you certainly got some great shots of it! I see it's already been identified as a damselfly; I remember last year looking them both up to identify what I saw in my yard, and one has eyes closer together than the other. I would be glad to see either in my garden--I haven't spotted one this spring!

    Catching up today, and I just read about the Lyme Disease; oh my! I hope the antibiotics do the trick for you and that you feel better soon.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Better late than never? I'm so behind - still battling this sinus infection and trying to get something done outside - but not much. This stuff just won't go away!
    Beautiful picture - you have the pretty colored ones. The one I did (not sure what) was just plain black. O'well!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Gorgeous photos! They are little jewels flying through the garden.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Hi Jan, Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving your sweet comments. I think Maine would be such a great place to visit and probably live too! I'm so hopeful one of these days we'll get to visit there.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I'm no expert, but I'm guessing damselfly as well. :-) Nice Photos!

    ReplyDelete
  25. They are beautiful creatures. I love their metallic colours. Your pictures do them justice!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Which ever it is, those are awesome pics, Jan! Poor you! Still limping. I hope you are better soon.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I'm not good at identifying them either Jan but I'd love to have my camera handy to capture some images like you did! They are really nice. I'm hoping my little pond will help lure some into my garden this summer...

    ReplyDelete
  28. Hi Jan...So glad that you were visited by this pair of Ebony Jewelwings...hopefully they will be regular guests. Yes, they are brilliantly metallic in color, just gorgeous! Their breeding habitat is in streams, but occassionally wander to gardens some distance away...lucky you!

    ReplyDelete
  29. I agree with the others Jan, it looks like a damselfly to me too. Great shots!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Damselfly, is it? Lovely either way! I don't see many of those around my house.

    ReplyDelete
  31. I just love Randy's knowledge about such things... I always head right over to him to ask him to help with ID's too... he is SO helpful. Those damselflies are not easy to get the lens to focus on... you did a great job. They are such wonderful and delicate looking creatures.

    I hope you had a great weekend and I hope you are looking forward to a fabulous week. Blessings to you.
    Meems

    ReplyDelete
  32. Those are really pretty shots of the damselfly, Jan. If they're slim and delicate-looking, they're damsels. At least that's how I identify them ;D

    ReplyDelete
  33. Jan, great job with these photos! I would imagine they're hard to capture sitting still. Always fun to find 'new' creatures in the garden!
    Lynn

    ReplyDelete
  34. It's the first time seeing a broad winged damselfly, for me. Beautiful capture, and of course, I was very interested in Randy's comment. We only have the regular ones here. I'm glad I stopped by today.

    ReplyDelete
  35. It's so satisfing when you get close to take a pic and they DON'T fly off.

    Nice photos Jan

    ReplyDelete
  36. What a lovely creature. I never see any around my farm. It might be too far from the water where they breed, altho we do have a creek just down the hill. I will try walking along the creek and looking for them. Would love to get some photos like yours.
    Marnie

    ReplyDelete
  37. Hi Jan.

    Thanks for visiting me today.
    I hope that you are feeling well.
    Wounderful photos of that damselfly.You are an exellent photographer. I love your pictures.

    I hope that you are having a good time, I have to work two more weeks then I´m having my vacation.
    I´ll bee free for five weeks.


    Have a great day

    Gunilla

    ReplyDelete
  38. Wow what beautiful pictures you got! I have never seen one with their wings closed. That is so cool!

    ReplyDelete
  39. I am sending you a big big hug!!! And I give you some of my children's energy they have a lot for the moment so I want them ti sit still so now I am sending you some!

    Love Maria Berg

    ReplyDelete
  40. The jewel colors on the mystery dragonfly are amazing. Can't help you with the name. Where's that insect indentification book when you need it? Is it even considered an insect? See, I know nuttin' when it comes to bugs.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Jan,
    Kudos for attracting some pretty and non-violent insects to the garden. He is very handsome.
    Barbarapc

    ReplyDelete
  42. Don't know the difference between a dragonfly or damselfly.
    Great shots ! What color on that little guy.
    Way to go Jan !

    ReplyDelete
  43. Great pictures, just love them

    ReplyDelete
  44. Wow! She's wonderful! Such vibrant colors! Sometimes, we just don't appreciate nature for its beauty, which's sad, eh!
    You did an awesome job of photographing them, Jan.

    Hope your leg's better now. Take care

    ReplyDelete
  45. beautiful captures...i think they are such amazing insects ^..^
    have a lovely afternoon.

    ReplyDelete
  46. OMG, I just posted a photo of one of these in my blog about visiting Brenda of BG_Gardens. There were scads of those things flying about her woods. Beautiful, aren't they? You have some wonderful photos of it. Mine was a female, too.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Awesome photos! I had to laugh when you wrote about taking way more photos than these. I just posted a bunch of photos of our downtown farmer's market for SkyWatch Friday. I had typed that they were about half the number I took, but ended up deleting that part. LOL

    ReplyDelete
  48. LOVE the damselfly. You have captured how mystical and magical they really are!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for visiting and taking the time to comment! Please enjoy your TODAY and all of the gifts in YOUR garden of life!

Jan

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Post Topics

17 year Cicadas...Enough Already! 2011 Official Post 2012 4th of July collage 5-lined skink A Certain Kind of Light A Cozy Fire A Dusting of Snow A Family Meal A Hawkish Tale A Little Bit of Winter A Visit From Miss Glad on Blooming Friday A Visit With The Queen A Warm Cup of Tea Acorns African Violets African Violets:Kitty Style Agastache Allium Am I too late for GBBD Amaryllis Amazing Zinnias American Beautyberry American Hazelnut American Lady American Robin Anemone Anenome Anglewings Anise Hyssop Another Birthday aphids April 2010 April blooms Arbor Day Are Words Really Necessary? Artemesia Asarum Asclepias Asiatic lilies Aster Aster Yellows Audubon-at-Home August 2009 GBBD August 2013 Autumn Autumn Reflections Awards Awesome Azaleas Azalea on Ice;Picture This Photo Contest;Winter's Beauty Azaleas Azealea Back Yard Backyard Bird Series backyard birds Backyard Makeover Bald Eagles Balloon Flower Bee Collage Bee-Balm Bees Bees Busily Buzzing on Blooms Before and After Being Settled berries Big Eyes Bird Collage Bird Conversations Bird Itch Birdfeeding Birds Birds Before Blooms Birthday Books Black Swallowtail Black Swallowtail Butterflies Black Swallowtail butterfly cats Blackeyed Susan Bleeding Heart Blog Anniversary Blogger blogging blogging friends Blogiversary Blooming Friday Blotanical Blotanical awards Blotanical's 2009 Best Virginia Award Blue Blooms Bluebeard Bluebird Bluebird Fledglings Bluebird in Snow Botanical Interests Boulder Bouquet of the Month:April 2010 Bouquet of the Month:March 2010 Bright Flowers broad-winged damselfly Brown Creeper Brunnera Buddleia Bugbane Bulbs BulbsSproutinginPot Bumblebees Butterflies BUTTERFLIES LIVE Butterfly on Salvia Butterfly weed Calorie-Free Candy Camera-less in April Can You Guess What This Is? Can You Please Identify Me Can't Get Enough Cosmos Cancer Experience Cardinal Cardinal (Female) Cardinal (Male) Cardinal Flower Carolina Wren Carolyn's Shade Gardens Carpenter Bees Carpet Rose Caryopteris Caryopteris x clandonensis Catmint Cedar Waxwing CedarWaxwing celandine poppy Celebrate Your Freedom Cercis canadensis Certified Wildlife Sanctuary Chelone Cherry Blossoms Chickadee Chris McLaughlin Christmas Fern Christmas Rose Chrysanthemum Cicada's Ahead of Schedule Cicada's May 2009 Cicadas May 2013 Cinquefoil Clematis CobraHead Collage Collages Columbine Common Buckeye Common Whitetail dragonfly Composter Coneflower Containers Cooper's Hawk Coral Red Honeysuckle Coreopsis Corona Corydalis Cosmos Covered Hellebore Plants Cozy and Warm Cranberrybush Vibernum Crepe Myrtle Crested Iris Crocus Crocus 'Romance' Crow Cut Flowers From My Garden Cutleaved Coneflower Daffodil Daffodils dainty blue flowers Dayflower Daylilies December 2010 December Birds Deer Poop Desert Island Plant Challenge Desperate for Color on Bloom Day Devastation in the Garden Devotion Dicentra Digitalis purpurea Does This Outfit Make Me Look Fat? Dogs Dragonflies Dragonfly or Damselfly Dried Blooms ducklings Dutchman's Breeches Dwarf Nandina Dwarf Sumac e-Bird e.e.cummings e.e.cummings:i thank You God for most this amazing Earth Day Eastern Bluebird Eastern Comma butterfly Eastern Redbud Eastern Tiger Swallowtail eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly Ebony Jewelwing Echinacea Elderberry Emily Dickinson End of the Line Epimedium Euphorbia Evening Primrose facebook Faith Fall Color Project Feasting on Seeds Feb 2010 GBBD Feb 2010 monster storm Feeling Blue Feeling Blue? Finch Fire Pink First Day of April First Snow First Snowfall Project Fiskars Flame Azalea Flat Tire Basket Flick'r photo large sizes Floral Collages Focal Black and White photo Foliage-Followup Forsythia Fourth of July Foxglove Foxy in November Free Will Friends Fritillaria Frozen Blooms Galanthus Garden Garden Blessings Garden Blogger Bloom Day:November 2008 Garden Blogger Muse Day November 2009 Garden Blogger Muse Day:December 2008 Garden Blogger's Bloom Day:January 2009 Garden Bloggers Garden Bloggers Bloom Day Garden Bloggers Muse Day Garden Bloggers Muse Day (April 2009) Garden Bloggers Operation Christmas Child Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day Garden Bloggers' Muse Day: June 2009 Garden Books Garden Give Away Garden Give Aways Garden Give-Aways Garden Product Give Away Gardening Gone Wild photography contest Gardening Nude Gardening-by-Letter project GardenShoesOnline Garter Snake Ingests Toad GBBD Febrary 2009 GBBD July 2009 GBBD June 2010 GBBD March 09 GBBD:December 2008 GBMD May 2009 GBMD:January 2009 Geese in a Row--and Ducks too Giant Hyssop Give-Away Winner Gladiola Gloves Go Native Goblins and Pumpkins and Snakes oh my God in the Garden Golden Groundsel Goldenglow Goldenrod Goldfinch Goodbye March Graham Rice Gramma's Afghan Grapes Grasshopper Grateful Great Backyard Bird Count Great House Plant Census of 2010 Green and Gold Green Cure fungicide Hairy Woodpecker Happy Father's Day Haven Brand Manure Tea Hawk hawks Heated Birdbath Heather Heliopsis Heliotrope Hellebore Hellebore Collage HelleboreHover Hellebores Hellebores Book Give-Away Helleborus Helleborus niger Help Identify Animal Tracks Henry David Thoreau: Hepatica Heron Heuchera High School Orchestra Concert Highbush Blueberry Hip Mountain Mama Holiday Stress Holiday stress: How Much is Self-Imposed Holly Honored and Humbled Hornworms House Finch Hummingbird Clearwing Hyacinth Hyacinths Hylotelephium I Am Truly Thankful! I'm a bit Bee-hind Iberis Ice on Stream Ice Storm Ilex Impatiens Indentifying Butterflies Iris Iris reticulata It's Here Its Grown On Me Jacob's Ladder January 2010 snow January 2011 January 2013 Japanese Anemone Joe Pye Weed John Keats July garden 2010 Junco June 19th 2009 Just Be Gardens Kerria Kerria-Japanese Rose Keter Dynamic Composter Kombi Ladybird Johnson Lake Anna Lake Anna June 2009 Lake Vacation Lamium Lantana Late to the Party Again lavender Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Leyland Cypress Liatris Life Experiences Light Lilac Bush Limestone Liriope Liverwort Lobelia Lonicera sempervirens Luna the Greyhound Lungwort Lyme Disease Lyme Disease has gone to my Head Macro in a Mason Jar Mallard ducks March Birthday Bloggers March GBBD mention master gardener May 2010 May Apple Meaning Memorial Day 2010 Memories Mertensia Mid Summer's Eve Mid-June Blooms MidMarch Blooms and Foliage Milkweed Miniature Dachshund mishmash wednesday Mistflower Mites Monarchs Monarchs and Milkweed Monarda Monkshood Monthly Garden Bouquet Moon More April Bouquets Morning Light Mountain Laurel Mourning Doves MuhlyGrass Mums Muscari Muscle My Cat Smokie My Daughter My Dog James My Family My FIRST Enlarged Photo My Husband My Mother My Son My Yard Mystery Tracks Nandina Nandina berries National Cherry Blossom Festival Native Ginger Native Honeysuckle native plants Natural Habitat Nepata New York Fern Non-Natives Northern Flicker Not The Best Notecards November 2009 GBBD Now that's an 'ice picture Obedient Plant Oct 2008 GBBD Almost Ready Oct 2009 October 2009GBBD Of Gloves and Shovels Oh Say Can You See Okay so who or what is eating my plants Oliver Herford:I Heard a Bird Sing Operation Christmas Child Pain Management Techniques Pansies Pansy paperwhites Pay It Forward Project Pay-It-Forward gift-giving exchange Peanut Feeder Peonies by Mary Oliver Peony Perennials Perennials in my garden Perovskia Personal Poetry Personal Poetry: Petunia Phlox Phlox paniculata photo contest Photography Contests phytoplasma Pieris Pieris Japonica Pileated Woodpecker Pine Siskin Pink Azalea Pink Peony Planting Natives Plants on Ice Poetry Pollinators Polymonium Pond Critters Poppy Potentilla Potomac River Pretty Pink Peony Has Popped Prize Winners Product Reviews Project FeederWatch Pulmonaria Pumpkin Carving Purple Coneflower Purpose Questionmark butterfly radishes Rain Rain Barrel Rainbarrel Rainbow Project Rainy Days Raspberry and Lemon Sherbet Reasons I Garden red admiral Red Winged Blackbird Red-Bellied Woodpecker Red-Spotted Purple Red-winged Blackbird Redbud Relaxing Remember Renee's Garden Revised GBBD February 15 Richmond VA Robert Frost Robin Robin'sNestingPlace Rock Soapwort Rock Solid RockSoapwort Roly-Poly Squirrel Rose hips Roses Roses with Thorns Rosy Maple Moth Rudbeckia Rudbeckia lanciniata Russian Sage S.A.D. Salvia Salvia greggi Samuel Taylor Coleridge:The Nightengale Sanguinaria Scilla Seagulls Seasonal Affective Disorder Security Blanket Sedum Sedum Autumn Joy Seed Planting Experiment Seed Starter System Seed-Planting Experiment#1 Seed-Planting Experiment#2 Seed-Planting Experiment#2 (cont.) Seeds Sense of Humor September blooms September Blooms:A Series of Surprises September Surprises #3 Serviceberry Shades of Blue Shady Gardener:Gladsome Be? sharing Sharp-shinned Hawk Shawna Coronado Shirl's Garden Watch Siberion Buglose Skink Slaty Skimmer dragonfly Snake Snake skin Snow Snow in Spring Snowdrop Anenome Snowdrops Snowstorm Solomon's Seal Sounds of the Birds Speedwell Spicebush Swallowtail Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly cats spicebush swallowtail caterpillar Spider Webs Spiderwort sprained ankle Spring Buds and Bulbs Spring Has Sprung Spurge Squirrel Squirrels stainless steel water bottle Standard Poodle Starling Steam on Fence Strawberries Succulents Summer Flowers SunRays Sunrise Sustainable Living project Swallowtail Butterflies Sweaters Hoods and Coats Sweet Allysum Sweet William Teacup and Teapot Tete-a-Tete Thank You to Phillip Thanksgiving The Best Christmas Gifts The Complete Idiot's Guide to Composting The Gardener's Guide to Growing Hellebores The GGW photo contest I 'almost' entered on time The Multi-Hued Greens of Spring The Ocean The Seed Keeper Company The Sun Shines at Night The Thrush This Ain't No April Fools Joke This aMayzing Day Thyme Tiarella Titmouse Toad Lily Tools Toulouse goose Tradescantia Tree Sparrow Trees Trillium Trout Lily Tufted Titmouse Tulips Tulips in Spring Tulips on Thursday Turtle Crossing turtle garden Turtlehead TX-Bluebonnet Umbrella VA Gardener Magazine Valentine's Display variegated foliage Verbena Veronica Vinca Violas Virginia Bluebells Virginia Gardener Magazine Wake Robin Walt Whitman:Miracles Washington DC Water Fountain Water Garden Waterfall/Stream WBBS Wednesday Words Weeping Willow West County Gardener What Are You Waiting For What d'ya think Janet What's Happening? What's New in November White Embden geese White Peony White-Breasted Nuthatch Wild Geranium Wild Ginger Wildflower Wednesday Wildflowers Will the Real Turtle Please Come Out William Wordsworth William Wordsworth:The Daffodil's Willow Leaved Sunflower Window; Death; Personal Photography Winter I Am So Over You Winter is for the Birds Winter Light Winter Solstice winter storm slide-show Winter Walk-Off 2014 Winterberry Witch Hazel Woodfern Woodland Pinkroot Woodpecker WORDLESS Friday Wordless Wednesday: Wren X-Rated Yellow but not Mellow Yesterday and Today Zinnia Zinnia Bud (Plan B)