This is a Common Baskettail (Epitheca cynosura) emerging from its larval skin. This is one of the first species of dragonfly to emerge (usually in late May) in northern Minnesota. The white "threads" are breathing tubes. The dragonfly hangs like this for about 30 minutes while the legs harden. The colors of emerging and newly emerged dragonflies are are quite bland. I removed some flash-generated specular highlights. 40D, Canon 180 f/3.5 macro, 0.5 sec, f/16, ISO 400, tripod, mirror lock, cable release, macro twin flash set at 1/16 power for fill. Comments are welcome.
Steve, this is really an outstanding image. Not only did you catch something that most of us never stop to see but you did it perfectly. The comp, the BG, the subject matter - it all works and I find myself staring at every little inch of it. It is truly a fascinating image and so well constructed. My hat is off to you!
Well done Steve. I love the details against the green BG.
I've never seen this although I must admit that I've never looked too hard. Perhaps it's one fo those things that you find time and again after your first one.