Thursday, October 7, 2010

Dragons and Damsels

Flies, of course! ;-) Yes, I know it's been a long time again. Getting back into the swing of things, though. Edited to remove link/info no longer valid (08/12). Anyways, lots to do, including getting my blog back up to speed! So, here are some recent dragonfly and damselfly photos. I've always thought they were the coolest insects, but it wasn't till I started photographing them that I learned just how fascinating they really are! So many parts, so much intricacy in something so small - I could watch them all day:-)

damselfly
"A Little Blue", male Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum)

Variegated Meadowhawk Dragonfly
"Smile!", female Variegated Meadowhawk, (Sympetrum corruptum)

Desert Firetail
"Freeze!", male Desert Firetail (Telebasis salva)

"Dragonfly Diner", female Variegated Meadowhawk chowing down

"Gripping", female(?) Neon Skimmer (Libellula croceipennis)

"Steady", Variegated Meadowhawk

"Ready for Liftoff!", male Flame Skimmer (Libellula saturata)

"The Aviator", female Variegated Meadowhawk

"A Little Privacy, Please", pair of Common Blues last May - this was taken while leaning over a barbed wire fence, and I actually didn't see Mrs. Blue until I processed the photos. I couldn't figure out what Mr. Blue was doing "standing up", lol!

"Copper Collision", the same Meadowhawk as "Steady". This beauty stayed long enough to get different angles and backgrounds:-)

Hope you've enjoyed this little montage! If I've identified any of these incorrectly, please leave a comment and let me know. I've tried to match them up to what I've found online, but dragonfly id is all new to me. Several of these are in our shops, so I've included links in the photos when you click them. I find them irresistible, and thought others might, as well:-)

P.S. A little Dragonfly/Damselfly medicine - They represent transformation. They help us break down illusions and find truth, and provide help with learning what we need to change/breaking bad habits. They represent much more, but these are the things that stand out to me the most.

7 comments:

Katie (Nature ID) said...

Hi Erica! Glad to see you're posting again. Fabulous odonate pics! They're so challenging to capture on camera. Hope the year is turning out well for you! :)

Ben and Carrie Tracks said...

Incredible shots.... I have yet to have luck with as many dragonflies and damsels as you.... glad to have stumbled across your site and looking forward to following and seeing more!

SandraHealy said...

I love these photos!

Erica Lea said...

Thank you both! They're very challenging, but also very addicting. I really keep my eyes peeled now to try to see where they land. I really want a good in-flight shot, but my lens isn't that fast and they're even more erratic to follow than hummingbirds.

Jennifer MacNeill said...

Absolutely amazing!

Kathryn Dyche said...

Great photos, they really are amazing.

Kerri Farley said...

These are really lovely!