I... ADORE... this newcomer to my woods! It is my new favorite, and I have never seen an Ebony Jewelwing before, other than in a photo. I first happened upon the female, and a couple of days later I saw the male on an early morning walk. I 've seen the male twice now. The very sight of both stopped me in my tracks. The body parts are a bright emerald green, but depending on the light source, can appear metallic blue. The female appears more brown and although my I.d. book doesn't mention that coloring, my female is an exact match to the their female pictured.
Now, this pair was obviously very easy to I.D....so I did my homework on these two. They are Broad-winged damselflies, and only two of the five North American members of this genus reside in Northeast Ohio. One being the Ebony Jewelwing... and the other is a River Jewelwing, which is considered rare and endangered. My Ebony Jewelwings may not be rare...but they are so striking to me. I love the black wings. The first two photos are the female, and we met mid-day. She was quite friendly and after many shots, all of a sudden she flew fast to my camera lens and then my finger...then resumed her position! I can read your mind...that wasn't anger...just go along with me, okay?! Seriously though, it is kind of neat to see a tiny creature curious and it gave me a good laugh, too.
How handsome is he? These two photos are the male. The first time I saw him it was early morning, I had just took a quick walk around the pond. We still have a rather large size rock garden in place where our original waterfalls were located. All of the original bushes, and perennial plants are still there, but this Jewelwing was gliding in and out of the very large Japanese Willow bushes before resting high in the Japanese Willow tree. No worthy photo opportunities that day.
The second time I saw the male (assuming they are one in the same), it was a bright and breezy early evening. I wish the shots were sharper. He was hanging around on some Hosta and Daylily leaves. The male and female are both something else to see, but the coloring on the male really stands out in the sun.
I... ADORE... this newcomer to my woods! It is my new favorite, and I have never seen an Ebony Jewelwing before, other than in a photo. I first happened upon the female, and a couple of days later I saw the male on an early morning walk. I 've seen the male twice now. The very sight of both stopped me in my tracks. The body parts are a bright emerald green, but depending on the light source, can appear metallic blue. The female appears more brown and although my I.d. book doesn't mention that coloring, my female is an exact match to the their female pictured.
Now, this pair was obviously very easy to I.D....so I did my homework on these two. They are Broad-winged damselflies, and only two of the five North American members of this genus reside in Northeast Ohio. One being the Ebony Jewelwing... and the other is a River Jewelwing, which is considered rare and endangered. My Ebony Jewelwings may not be rare...but they are so striking to me. I love the black wings. The first two photos are the female, and we met mid-day. She was quite friendly and after many shots, all of a sudden she flew fast to my camera lens and then my finger...then resumed her position! I can read your mind...that wasn't anger...just go along with me, okay?! Seriously though, it is kind of neat to see a tiny creature curious and it gave me a good laugh, too.
How handsome is he? These two photos are the male. The first time I saw him it was early morning, I had just took a quick walk around the pond. We still have a rather large size rock garden in place where our original waterfalls were located. All of the original bushes, and perennial plants are still there, but this Jewelwing was gliding in and out of the very large Japanese Willow bushes before resting high in the Japanese Willow tree. No worthy photo opportunities that day.
The second time I saw the male (assuming they are one in the same), it was a bright and breezy early evening. I wish the shots were sharper. He was hanging around on some Hosta and Daylily leaves. The male and female are both something else to see, but the coloring on the male really stands out in the sun.
