Trithemis aurora, a crimson-pink dragonfly
Trithemis aurora (Crimson or Dawn Dropwing)
Wow! I just couldn’t believe my eyes! What amazing colors this captivating dragonfly displayed! I am so delighted that it stayed almost still for about 20 minutes on the Crossandra undulifolia flowering spike. Haha, long enough for me to get over the initial fumbling with my point and shoot camera (Canon PowerShot A60) which usually happens when I am excited, and then steadied to capture 11 reasonably good shots. Oooh…I am so happy, in seventh heaven so to speak! 
A big thank you to our elder son who dropped by to test out his newly purchased Sigma 150mm macro lens in our garden and chanced upon this beauty, otherwise definitely I would have missed out this dragonfly’s visit. More so on a gloomy and drizzling evening, when I was glued in front of my personal computer, drafting a post on Bauhinia Kockiana, a fabulous tropical vine.
Such a wonderful surprise! Who says 13 is an unlucky number? Incidentally, this beautiful Trithemis aurora flew in on the 13th. of March – we are so lucky! What a blessed day for us! I’m absolutely thrilled and thankful.
This attractive medium-sized dragonfly, Trithemis aurora, is truly a handsome male that can be easily identified. Its head is crimson red and body beautifully hued in deep purplish-red to vibrant magenta pink, with red markings between segments. Absolutely fabulous! The wings are transparent and neatly veined in red, with black wing-tips. The base of hind wings present a combination of yellow and brown. A peculiar characteristic of the many species within this subfamily ‘Trithemistinae’ (Dropwings) is, they will almost immediately lower their wings upon landing.
The female species on the other hand, has a golden-yellow to light brown body with darker markings that stands in sharp contrast with its male counterpart in deep pink and crimson tones. Hehe…quite the reverse from us human beings!
Taxonomy:
- Scientific name: Trithemis aurora (Burmeister, 1839)
- Another name: Libellula aurora
- Common name: Crimson Dropwing, Crimson Marsh Glider, Dawn Dropwing
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Odonata
- Suborder: Anisoptera
- Superfamily: Libelluloidea (Dippers)
- Family: Libellulidae (Perchers)
- Subfamily: Trithemistinae (Dropwings)
- Genus: Trithemis
- Species: T. aurora
Habitat: Ponds and small lakes close to forest areas; weedy drains, sluggish streams and low secondary vegetation.
Distribution: China, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong, Hainan, Taiwan, Japan, Laos, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines and Middle East.
Update: July 27, 2008
What a wonderful surprise! Such gorgeous blue eyes it has – I’m so delighted to have shot this frontal view!
This handsome pink dragonfly came visiting again on July 4 in the late evening, almost the same time it was last seen in our garden about four months ago. This time, it flew straight onto the leafless branch of our Brunfelsia calycina bush that was given a heavy trim a few days before.
Seemed to be seasoned with human activity, as it stayed still for quite some while after being photographed. It returned to the same spot even after being disturbed and John simply could not resist catching its tail, then the wings and have a thorough look before releasing it…reminding him of his mischievous childhood years, he said! 
Tags: dragonflies/damselflies, insects, our garden, wildlife
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