It’s getting to be prime time for dragonflies, always fascinating and frustrating subjects for photographers. Here you see what I think is a male slaty skimmer (Libellula incesta), which is native to the northeast U.S. and some of southern Canada.
I’ll probably be doing a major article on dragonflies in August, after I do further research on their amazing flying maneuvers. Speaking of flying maneuvers, here you’ll see this fellow leaving those desiccated flowers in a hurry, with his head apparently swiveled 90 degrees to look at me with both eyes, while his wings are positioned oddly to launch himself straight up:
(Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on July 24, 2025.)