Dancing Bluet

Current folder of Images I am editing: Damselflies. These are such delicate little insects, and so colorful. I usually spot them hovering close to the ground in close vicinity to water. Just a little strip of blue zipping around in the sun. (Actually, they come in a variety of shapes and colors, but blue is the most common). I photographed these close to Camp Creek on the Nature Conservancy's Zumwalt Prairie Preserve in July.

There are hundreds of species in the U.S., dozens in the Pacific Northwest, and many look alike. However, I narrowed down these two individuals to Argia vivida, or Vivid Dancer. The male is blue, the female is pale.

Photographed with a high-speed camera. You can see a little more about the process here: http://www.oregonwild.com/High-Speed1.V.html