Watching and identifying dragonflies and damselflies has become a popular hobby similar to birding. While there isn’t as much variety as with birds, there are more than 5,000 species worldwide. Washington State has over 80 species.

I’m not a bug fan in general, and don’t know anything about identifying dragonflies, but they are very colorful and fun to watch as they zip around. And they make for great photography subjects. (A long telephoto lens is a huge help.)

I took this photo at Paul Rogers Park in Ellensburg in August 2015.