When I first saw this dragonfly land yesterday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, I had no idea what it was. Zooming in, I was shocked to see that it was a Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens), a migratory species that almost never perches.
The Wandering Glider is considered to be the most widespread dragonfly in the world, found on every continent except Antarctica. According to odonatacentral.com, “It is a strong flier that is regularly encountered by ocean freighters and a well-known migratory species. Because of its ability to drift with the wind, feeding on aerial plankton, until it finally encounters a rain pool in which it breeds, it has been called “…the world’s most evolved dragonfly.” ”
After I got the initial shots of the dragonfly on two different perches, I decided to follow the dragonfly and wait for it to perch again. It wandered about through the air over my head for an extended period of time and never again came down to land. The last photo gives you an idea of my view during that period of waiting—note the long wings that help it to fly such long distances.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
How very lovely is the Wandering Glider. Enjoyed all three photos and the description of you following behind, especially like the last photo, so free….
What a lovely view of the wings in the sky shot! It was probably thinking “when is that nuisance of a man ever going to go away?”.
Based on my experience with this dragonfly you have to be very patient and lucky to get a photo!
Thanks. I think my experience is the same. Wandering Gliders don’t seem to perch very often and they are relatively small, so you have to actually see them land to be able to spot them.