Many people keep life lists of the species they’ve encountered. Getting to add a new species to that list, whether the species is uncommon or not, is always a thrill. This painted skimmer was a lifer for me:
Painted skimmer, Libellula semifasciata
I was headed to the back gate as I was closing up at the field station and slammed on the brakes when I saw a flutter of orange over the prairie. We’ve had a lot of similarly colored Halloween pennants around recently, but this was much too big and flew differently. Was absolutely thrilled to discover that the dragonfly I caught out of the corner of my eye was a painted skimmer, a new species for me! I rushed back to see if it was already on the species list for the site and was mildly disappointed that I was not the first to see one on the grounds, but checking that species off in my field guide more than made up for it. :)
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The Dragonfly Woman 
What a beautiful dragonfly! Congrats for getting such a great shot!
Thanks! I was thrilled to see it – getting a reasonably decent shot was just icing on the cake.
I saw one like this in my back yard one time. A really large dragonfly and not as friendly as the others I have encountered.
Interesting! This one was a ways off, so I wasn’t able to judge its friendliness relative to others.
What a nice photo—Glad you were able to take it off your list—I’ve not seen any of these down here in Charleston—John
You may someday! They’re in your county, so you may see one if you keep looking out for them.
Thanks for the info—I’ll be on the look-out—Sadly, there aren’t many Dragonflies at my place at all this year…
Really? How sad! Hope you’ll see some before the winter hits.