Delmarva Dragonflies and Damselflies

A photographic guide to all the Odonates of the Delmarva Peninsula

Complete annotated List

Over 2000 High resolution, full screen photos

Flight dates and status

Where to find odonates

Scroll down to learn more

Features

Complete Annotated List

All 136 species of Odonates (92 dragonflies and 44 damselflies) that have occurred on the Delmarva, including status, habitat and updated flight dates for all species (compiled from personal notes and from Beaton 2007, Barlow et al 2009, White 2011 and NJ Odes Website). Species arranged by family and then alphabetically by scientific name.

Full screen photos

132 species illustrated (88 0f 92 dragonflies and all 44 damselflies). All photos can be viewed full screen in high resolution. Complete photo galleries available for most species. Some of these galleries have more than 25 photos, including males, females, immatures, tenerals, pairs in wheel or in tandem, flight photos, exuviae, etc.

Site Guides

Guide to the best places to find Odonates in the Delmarva. An overview Google map with 40 sites marked on the Delmarva and over 200 sites throughout the mid-Atlantic, including short descriptions of each site and a list of special species. Detailed site guides to the best odonate sites on the Delmarva. A list of special, rare or local species and where to find them to help you see your target species.

Natural poses and lighting

All photos are of natural poses with ambient lighting, unless noted otherwise. All have been extensively processed in PhotoShop using Topaz filters.

Complete Resource List

Lists of books, websites and a very comprehensive list of Odonate Facebook groups throughout the western hemisphere. Click here to jump directly to "Resources".

Tools and Equipment Recommendations

See the "Tools" tab for a full discussion of all the equipment I use, including camera, binoculars, loupe, software, nets, footwear and more. Click here to jump directly to equipment recommendations on the "Tools" tab.

Galleries from Other Regions

Links to galleries of my odonate photos from outside the Delmarva including Florida, Texas, Arizona, Minnesota and New England. Click here to jump directly to "Other Regions" tab.

Target Species List

A list of rare, local or difficult species and the best places to find them. Click here to jump directly to this list or go to the "Where to find Odonates" tab.

Tips

Viewing Photo Galleries

All species accounts contain representative high resolution photos of males and females, if available. Click on the photo in a species account to view it full screen in high resolution. Click on "More Photos" button to be taken to the complete photo gallery for that species. Use the slide show feature of the galleries (arrow in upper right corner) to view all the photos full screen.

When were the photos taken?

In the galleries, click on the Photo Details icon (upper left, third from the top) to see when the photo was taken.

Locations

All photos were taken in Delaware, unless stated otherwise. All locations are indicated in the photo caption (all are easily found by searching Google Maps).

Flight Dates

Flight dates are for the Delmarva Penninsula (DMV), unless the species is rare and then flight dates from NJ or GA may be used. Please report any new flight dates to me at mcmoore32@gmail.com

Copyright and Use

Copyright

Creative Commons License
All Odonate Photographs by Michael C. Moore are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. They may be used for noncommercial purposes without permission but with attribution. Commercial use requires prior permission from the photographer.

Corrections

I hate errors. Please send all corrections, suggestions, questions and comments to Michael Moore at mcmoore32@gmail.com. Comments on mistaken ID especially welcome as most individuals were identified by visual field marks, not by in hand inspection.

Last Update

15 July 2024

BLue-faced Meadowhawk