Dragonflies and damselflies have always intrigued me, and here in Thailand, you can see them near most bodies of water. If you really want to see them though, the rainy season is when they come out in force. Small insects that feed on the new growth brought on by the rains become abundant, and shortly after the dragonflies and damselflies follow. During the rainy season I often stalk the gardens near my office trying to photograph them as they flit from perch to perch.
I’ve have taken it upon myself to try and photograph as many different species as I can. The problem is that they can be quite skittish, and sometimes even the slightest disturbance sends them whizzing away from their perch ,but who doesn’t love a challenge. Below is a picture of one resting on a torch ginger plant after being caught by by a downpours of the rainy season.
Here’s another only a few feet away from the first although on a slightly drier day.
Sometimes if you’re lucky you can get really close and snap a nice pic like this orange dragonfly who was resting on an orchid leaf in the sun.
The damselflies are generally more dainty than the dragonflies and I usually can’t get photos of them as they’re very small and infinitely more skittish than their giant cousins. Sometimes you’ll be lucky enough to find one that’s not so skittish and with a lot of patience and careful stalking you can get close enough to get a good look and maybe even a photo.
Below are a couple of beautiful damselflies I managed to snap some shots of whilst carefully stalking up and down a stream near a waterfall.
The variation of the dragonflies and damselflies here seems infinite, and I will never tire of sneaking up on them,trying to get a closer look and hopefully a quick pic. Here are just a few of the different ones that i’ve managed to snap shots of so far.
I’m looking forward to the rainy season returning. With my new camera I’ll once again being able to stalk the gardens and hopefully get some nice photos of these winged beauties.
Nick's Wild Life 