This weeks Photo of the Week was taken Saturday
(April 2, 2016)

I think this is a Scarlet Percher, although his body looks more orange than red – perhaps a trick of the light.

According to the Atlas of Living Australia, Diplacodes haematodes, more commonly know as the Scarlet Percher, is a species of dragonfly that occurs throughout Australia (except for Tasmania), and also in Timor, New Guinea, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia.

It’s a medium-sized dragonfly and the males and females appear vastly different to each other.  While females are pale yellow to yellow-brown in colour, these dragonflies are named for the brilliant red males, who are often seen perching on twigs or stones, taking to the wing to chase away rival males or to court the less conspicuous, dull yellow females.

I spotted this one while we strolled through the Cairns Botanic Gardens and although he was perched on a ‘twig’, he was preying on other flying insects.  He is not quite as red as the one I photographed up the top of Mount Stuart, which makes me thing he might not be a Scarlet Percher.  Anyway, we stood there watching him dart off to catch little morsels mid-air and then return to perch again on the twig.  I was rather surprised that during all his flitting about, I was able to point and shoot and capture a clear image.