Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly

I’ve seen these stunning creatures out in the field, but this one showed up in my back yard in June. Its wings were so densely black that they stood out among all the overgrown greenery and I saw it immediately on going outside. Circling around with my zoom lens was not difficult as this damselfly was not shy. The day was overcast which tends to reduce contrast and intensify colors, so I managed to capture that iridiscent blue body without losing color to highlights or dense shadows.

Seeing a damselfly in the back yard is always going to be exciting, but this particular morning made it even moreso. One of my beloved cats had been ill and diagnosed with lymphoma. We were doing at-home chemotherapy with steroids and she was doing well. I kept seeing signs around her, a butterfly, several different feathers found in the yard, a downy white feather clinging to her chest. They all seemed to give us positive encouragement and I hoped we’d have a remission, at least for a while, but I also knew they could also be there to lead her home. And we did lose her three days later. It’s one of the reasons I stopped posting here for months. This cat in particular, my big beautiful Mewsette, I will always miss, especially when I’m out in the back yard where we visited for a few minutes each day. Many of the photos I’ve shared here I’ve taken while she and her mother were milling around my feet, or off in the yard where I’d find a reason to take their photos. You can read more about her here on my blog, The Creative Cat.

Here she is watching me pursue this damselfly on that morning.

. . . . . . .

Follow me on Instagram.

Visit my photography galleries on Portraits of Animals.

All images used on this site are copyrighted to Bernadette E. Kazmarski unless otherwise noted and may not be used without my written permission. Please ask if you are interested in using one in a print or internet publication. If you are interested in purchasing a print of this image or a product including this image, visit my galleries of Photography on Portraits of Animals to see if I have it available already. If you don’t find it there, visit “Custom Prints” for availability and terms. I'll be more than happy to make a print for you.