Damselfly

I stopped to explore a conservation area, coincidentally right after a heavy rain which completely changes a natural area because everything that lives comes out after the storm is over and the place is very busy, even noisy, with all the activity.

I was photographing water droplets on the grass, nice enough, when a damselfly literally wandered into the picture, looking like a small model airplane in the lens.

This happens to be an Eastern Forktail damselfly. Part of the fun of the exploration is getting out the guidebooks and hitting the internet to learn about what you just discovered you didn’t know.

Here’s a close-up of the damselfly. The above photo is more attractive, but the photo below is a little more clear. I discovered this species hanging out at Wingfield Pines in Upper St. Clair, PA (near Pittsburgh), a property protected by the Allegheny Land Trust.