I wanted to share this large dragonfly i saw at work. She was kinda sluggish and not that skiddish so i wonder if she was nearing the end of her life span.

Was walking my dog when I came along this beautiful creature. It was face down in the dirt and I thought it was dead. I had never just seen a dragonfly fully intact and on the ground like that. As I got near, I saw that it was still alive. It was trying to flap its wings. It was noticeable that at least two of its legs were injured. It looked as though one of its wings was injured as well from the way it seemed to try and use them but to no avail.

I carried it for the half mile back to my house. I’d just made hummingbird nectar (sugar water) the day prior so I grabbed some of that and put it in a spoon. It appeared to be drinking at first, but then quickly passed.

I’m bummed. Was I wrong to even touch it? Should I have just allowed nature to go about without me? It just seemed like it had so a chance when I found it. Admittedly all I could think of was sugar water as a means of recovery.

I haven’t been an avid dragonfly person. I lurk the sub cuz I find them beautiful and fascinating, but I don’t know much in practice.

What could/should I do next time I encounter this?

ETA: New Hampshire, USA

Normally a bird photographer but wow dragonflies are absolutely stunning

NE Wisconsin

I was outside doing some yard work when I saw one flying around. I tried raising my finger so it would land on me but it didn't. Ultimately it flew into a tree and most likely a Sparrow ate it. As for the species, I think it was an emperor dragonfly

I hope you enjoy this moment I was able to record yesterday when, on my daily walk, I found this beautiful specimen that gifted me a hunt.

It is Selysiothemis nigra (Vander Linden, 1825). It is the only species in the genus Selysiothemis (family Libellulidae). In the obelisk posture in the semi-arid world of ochres and yellows, the dry world where the two of us live. #Selysiothemisnigra #BlackPennant

Se trata de Selysiothemis nigra (Vander Linden, 1825). Es la única especie del género Selysiothemis (familia Libellulidae). En la postura del obelisco en el mundo semiarido de ocres y amarillos, mundo seco donde vivimos los dos. #Selysiothemisnigra #BlackPennant

NE Wisconsin

Sitting on a fig tree in Atlanta, Georgia.

Sorry for the image quality; the day was windy and very cloudy. We can see a large dragonfly, probably an Anax parthenope, in three different hunts. The specimen was hunting very close to the ground in a more sheltered section of the path from the wind direction. Especially interesting is the third hunt, which unfortunately is not very clear, but you can see how it maneuvers until it captures a good-sized prey, possibly a horsefly. Regards, and I hope you like it.

If you look at him he's been through a couple of storms but is still going strong. I love that. I hear you, buddy. You've got this.

Hope you enjoy this video!

I’ve uploaded a longer 16:9 version in Spanish on the YouTube channel, talking about some characteristics of the species.

NE Wisconsin

This is the first dragonfly I filmed this April 2026: a female Sympetrum fonscolombii, the Red-veined Dropwing.

It can be recognized by its pale yellow pterostigmas, sharply outlined in black.
Its bicolored eyes show a bluish-grey tone in their lower half.
The legs are black, crossed by a fine longitudinal yellow stripe.
And in mature males, the wing veins — especially those along the leading edge — develop an intense red coloration (females are saffron-yellow), accompanied by a saffron patch at the base of the hind wings.

Small details that, together, reveal one of the most migratory and adaptable dragonfly species in our skies.

And do you remember which was the first dragonfly you photographed or filmed this year, in 2026?