A spreadwing damselfly among the colors of autumn. Spreadwings are damselflies; they share the slender body of most damselflies but tend to hold their wings away from their bodies rather than fold neatly over the abdomen. This species is also quite large for a damselfly, at least two inches long. We were enjoying an unusually warm spell in early November; several dragonflies and this damsel were active. Dragonfly activity in November is a special treat. Often the weather just won’t cooperate this late. This is the latest I have noticed any Odonata species aside from the autumn meadow hawk, which was also flying on this particular day. This photograph was taken on with the 60mm Micro-Nikkor lens on a Nikon D90. (A Nikon D7200 would be the comparable current model.) There is some cropping, but not as much as one might think; these big spreadwings are relatively tame. Looking for a dragonfly field guide? Consider Dragonflies through Binoculars by Sidney W. Dunkle.