17 Dazzling Dragonfly Pictures You’ll Love

Dragonfly on a Butterfly

“I was shooting butterflies in my zinnias with a long lens and noticed a dragonfly following this tiger swallowtail. I was hoping to catch them both in the same frame but was pleasantly surprised to have caught this interaction at just the right instant,” says Ken Christison. Love dragonfly pictures? Don’t miss fascinating facts about dragonflies.

Brilliant Blue Eyes

While taking pictures of flowers, this dragonfly just landed right in front of me, striking a pose! I used a Nikon D5600 camera with a 70mm-300mm lens,” says Jennifer Acolia.

Pretty Pollinator

“This purple flower brought in not only butterflies but the beautiful dragonfly. I ran in the house and grabbed my camera; I was so lucky it stayed long enough for me to capture its beauty,” says Clara Learnard.

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Good Day for Dragonfly Pictures

“I know this isn’t a butterfly but I had to submit it. The photo was taken at Wiregrass Lake, a part of the metropark system in Northwest Ohio. This little Halloween pennant dragonfly posed for me for quite some time. I love his beautiful colors,” says Anne Nelson.

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Blue Dasher Dragonfly

“Each spring and summer, we enjoy seeing our water garden here in southeast Kansas begin to come to live after winter. I took this photo in mid-July when the lotus in our water garden began blooming. This blue dasher dragonfly began to pose for me. The shadows of its wings and the colors on its body really caught my eye,” says Linda Wilson.

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Clear Dragonfly Wings

Birds & Blooms reader Karyn Swaney shared her dazzling dragonfly pictures. We love how the dragonfly’s wings look translucent in the sunlight.

Strike a Pose

“This Halloween pennant dragonfly and I had a long conversation prior to this photo shoot on exactly how to place its wings for this shot,” says Laura Pettigrew.

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Dragonfly on Lavender

“I was visiting my sister in Holland, Michigan, and we decided on a road trip to Fennville to see the Summerhouse Lavender Farm. I used a Canon Power Shot with a 65x optical zoom and was lucky to catch this dragonfly in the field of lavender,” says Chris Schellenberg.

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Waterlily Wanderer

“In August 2020,I saw this blue dasher dragonfly on waterlily at the Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens in Akron, Ohio,” says Marina Neyman.

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Dragonfly on Bellflower

“One of our favorite backyard native plants is the biennial American tall bellflower. It creates dense colonies that attract lots of visitors, in this case, a ruby meadowhawk dragonfly,” says James Hobbs.

Skimmer in the Backyard

“This 12 spotted skimmer visited my backyard in summer. Dragonflies represent a connection to passed people and animals for me. It is a very comforting connection,” says Linda Dexter.

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Purple Majesty

“I took this photo of a purple lotus flower at the New York Botanical Garden. I used a Canon 50D camera with a 70-300 macro lens. What makes this photo so special is the rich color of the purple flower and the addition of the blue dragonfly that happened to rest on it,” says Sheila Langer.

You’ve Got a Friend

“This cool little dragonfly kept trying to land on me while I was at Ravine Gardens State Park early one morning. I waited for it to find somewhere else to rest so I could capture this photo,” says Jim Bailey.

Dragonfly Among the Blackberries

“An August day found me at my favorite blackberry patch, which was practically dripping with fruit. I reached out to pluck a handful and froze when I saw this dragonfly sitting perfectly still. Camera in hand, I got as close as I could with time to take numerous shots. The beautifully colored body and the translucent wings surprised and delighted me,” says Martha Lane.

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A Bold Dragonfly

“I came across this very curious dragonfly dragonfly on a chilly, damp day while at work. It was in the wet grass, and when I put my hand down, it crawled onto my finger—not shy at all! It seemed to like the camera, letting me take a few shots before it flew off. I think it warmed up from my body heat,” says Paul Kneebone.

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Dragonfly on Coneflower

“As I enjoyed the visitors in the pollinator garden, this dragonfly landed on a spent coneflower. I love the way the sun highlights its wings. My kids and I were quite intrigued by this flier!” says Diana Hudgins.

Colorful Succulent Perch

“On a hot summer day on my patio, I spotted this friendly dragonfly on my echeveria plant. The natural lighting was perfect,” says Kimberly Ward.

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