Pied Parasol - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

Pied Parasol (Neurothemis tullia tullia) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

I have photographed the Pied Parasol on a number of my early morning trips to Thalangama. They are fairly common in the area and can often be found perched close to the water. Although the male and female are completely different in terms of appearance, this species is unmistakable.

More photographs inside.

Pied Parasol (Neurothemis tullia tullia) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

The adult male's wings (1st photograph) have a broad black band followed by a white band. It's body colour varies with age with juveniles initially having a light brown body. The females have dark brown tips with brown spots in the middle of their golden wings.  Their abdomens are light brown and yellow.

Pied Parasol (Neurothemis tullia tullia) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

This species is generally found around tanks, ponds, marshes, slow flowing streams and paddy fields. They can be found from the lowlands to the mid hills throughout the year. It can be found throughout South and south-East Asia.

Pied Parasol (Neurothemis tullia tullia) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

These photographs were taken with the Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens. I would like to start photographing dragonflies with a macro lens at some stage. This is probably a good species to start with as it let me get quite close to it without taking flight.

Indigo Dropwing

These shots of a male Indigo Dropwing were taken in Kandy. I found it flying around near the swimming pool and noticed that it kept settling in the same place at the edge of the water. It allowed me to get quite close to photograph it but I was limited by the 1.4 meter minimum focusing distance of the lens. More images and info inside. 

The Indigo Dropwing (Trithemis festiva) is an Asian species which is found near flowing water. They are frequently seen on rocks or on vegetation near water ways guarding their territory. Mature males are entirely dark overlaid with a fine whitish pruinescence. Young males look similar to females sporting extensive yellow patches on their abdomen. Females have dark patches at the wing tips and lack the amber spot at the base of their hind wings.

The Indigo Dropwing is often mistaken with the Restless Demon (Indothemis limbata) because both of them are dark blue in colour and they are both similar in size. The orange streaks on the abdomen distinguish it from the Restless Demon which also has dark wing tips.

 

All the images on this post were taken with a Canon 7D body and the 100-400mm lens. It's a good lens for macro work but the only drawback is the nearest focusing distance of 1.4 meters.

Oriental Scarlet