Widow skimmer, wings spread

Shot head-on rather than from the side, which is the best angle for showing off a widow skimmer’s namesake feature — the bold dark brown patches at the base of each wing, paired with a white band further out, giving the wings a striking two-tone pattern in flight or at rest.

Why it matters

Only male widow skimmers develop that pale, waxy white banding on the wings and body as they mature — younger males and females show the dark brown patches without the white, which is part of how researchers can age a population just by looking at wing patterns.

Getting the shot

A perfectly clean green backdrop threw all the attention onto the wing pattern. Shot straight-on rather than in profile, which flattened the wings into a single plane and made the banded pattern read almost like a printed design.