Little Blue Dragonlet male (Erythrodiplax minuscula)
During our visit to Schoepfle Garden I was able to continue my pursuit of dragonfly photographs. One beauty was (I believe) a Little Blue Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax minuscula) who alighted on a leaf not far from me on that very warm Sunday. I shot several photos in a series, hoping to draw closer and refine my focus. As I watched, he slowly raised his abdomen (tail) higher into the air, pointing towards the sky. I’d seen that behavior before though I don’t think I’ve ever photographed that pose. I thought the insect was advertising for a mate. Apparently it is understood that dragonflies take their “obelisking” posture in order to reduce their exposure to the sun in very hot weather. So it seems that, while a dragonfly may look sexy, it takes hot weather and not hot mates to inspire a Little Blue Dragonlet’s obelisking.
