OK bug experts - can you tell me what it is?

[droll13]

Another of the 180+ photos I took yesterday.

I'm surprised I even saw this insect because it's so thin and relatively small (maybe 2 inches long).

Is it some sort of dragonfly?

[Luv2shoot]

I think it is a damselfly.
Am I correct?
Do I win a prize????

Great lens on your camera.

[droll13]

Originally Posted by Luv2shoot

I think it is a damselfly.
Am I correct?
Do I win a prize????

Great lens on your camera.

Thanks for the quick response.

I have no idea if you're correct so, regrettably, I can't promise you a prize. It sounds right, but that's just a SWAG on my part.

Yes, I'm pretty happy with the camera - great zoom and great macro capability. But I did notice on this image (and more on others of the same bug) strong chromatic aberration. But I can live with the occasional CA.

[ticktock01]

Dave, that is definitely a Damselfly. Looks like a Pacific Forktail, although I'm not sure. Nice macro and nice capture. I'm surprised you were able to get so close to it.
As a kid we used to call them Darning Needles.

[droll13]

Thanks Terry. I'll Google Pacific Forktail, but I'll bet you're correct.

[birdhs]

I really enjoy all these insect pix that are suddenly showing up lately.

What is "chromatic aberration" and how do you spot it? That is way further advanced than I have studied.

Hope to take some more Photography classes once Santa stops by on my birthday (ARE YOU LISTENING SANTA???) and drops off that DSLR he promised...

life is good

greg

[droll13]

Greg,

Chromatic aberration refers to brightly colored edges that appear, usually where a sharp edge exists when between very dark and a very light areas. Often it's a reddish-violet color but sometimes, as in this case, it can be bluish (notice the blue outline around around the white at the tip of the tail).

BTW, I Googled Pacific Forktail, and Terry is absolutely correct. Interestingly, the males are typically this color combination, but the females can vary a lot. Some are this color, some are drab, some fall in between. Makes identification quite difficult.

[LeZart]

Nice capture of this Damselfly. They are difficult to focus on because they are so thin. Most Damselflies have eyes that do not touch while most Dragonflies have eyes that do touch (but there are some exceptions). I can recommend a wonderful free site for bug identification assistance. It is called 'BugGuide.com' but they only do North American bugs. I have used them countless times when I found something I didn't recognize or couldn't find in my reference books.

The color differences between genders in both Damselflies and Dragonflies does indeed make identification of species difficult and it gets even more confusing because some young males and young females can change their colors as they mature.

Many caterpillars also change color as they mature - some go through as many as 4 or 5 different 'instars' (color stages).

Lee

[birdhs]

Dave- thanx for the explanation. I did notice it once you pointed it out. Never knew that was what it was called.

always learning

[droll13]

Thanks Lee. I found bugguide.com and several other resources when I Googled.

Greg, you're welcome.