Mating Jade Clubtail dragonflies at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge – Canon R7, beanbag, f14, 1/200, ISO 800, Canon RF 100-500mm at 428mm, natural light
Last Sunday, I was surprised to be able to photograph and video mating Jade Clubtail dragonflies from the auto tour route at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge.
I’d never seen this species before, and I almost missed them because when I first drove past them, I thought they were part of a dried, curled-up leaf. Something made me back up and take a look through my lens.
I’m glad I listened to my instincts or I would have passed by a great opportunity with this clubtail dragonfly species. Once I was backed up, I could see that the Jade Clubtails were in what is called a “mating wheel,” so I started taking still photos, then switched over to videos.
At times, videos can capture what still photos can’t, like the video below did of the mating clubtail dragonflies.
I had a bit of a breeze to contend with, so I did do some anti-shake post processing of this mating Jade Clubtail dragonfly video.
Because I’d never seen or filmed these dragonflies before, they were lifers for me. Now that I know they exist at the refuge, I’ll be watching for them.
The Jade Clubtail dragonflies are named for their jade coloration and their slightly clubbed tails. They also have green eyes. Like other dragonflies, they eat flying insects, including mosquitoes, and I appreciate anything that eats mosquitoes!
I still have a few more new-to-me dragonflies that I photographed this July to share and will do that soon. A few of them I still need to identify when I have the time. Other things with wings still excite me!
Life is good.
Mia
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