The Painted Damsel (Hesperagrion heterodoxum) might be considered one of the most colorful and beautiful damselflies in the United States. It occurs in southwest Texas, New Mexico and Arizona with some records north to Colorado. It also occurs in Mexico. The shots shown here (top to bottom: adult male, younger male, female and very young female) were taken along Limpia Creek in Fort Davis, Jeff Davis Co., Texas with a Canon EOS 1D Mark II and EF 300 mm F/4 L IS lens with a 2X extender and 550 EX flash.

The female Painted Damsel on the left and the male just below were in Pima Co., Arizona, in May, 2008.