Dragons Galore

“It is the little creatures that make the world go round.”

Dave Goulson

BIT OF BLUE

It seems it really “bugs” most of us that there is no more Weekly Photo Challenge, so this week I’ve decided to feature one of the most interesting bugs of all – the delicately-winged dragonfly.  A good friend here on Kiawah is a bit obsessed with these little creatures so after our last photography outing we decided to stop at one of the more heavily-populated marsh spots to see what we could find.

HANGIN’ ON

“The transparency of dragonfly’s wings assures me of a pure, innocent world”

Munia Kahn

Happily, there were dragonflies aplenty. Blue, green, yellow… you name it, we saw it. Their little heads seemed to me as if they were enclosed in a protective helmet shaped much like that of an NFL pro. They’re difficult to shoot because they don’t sit still for long and their travels are never in a straight line. Further, they flutter rather erratically as they fly, making them difficult to follow. But shoot them we did, rising to the challenge as best we could.

LEAF ME ALONE

“Dragonflies are reminders that we are light and we can reflect light in powerful ways if we choose to do so.”

Robyn Nola

I ran into an issue with my Fuji as we were shooting – for some reason the camera was putting a very dark vignette around every photo. I was very unhappy and interrupted my shooting to google the problem. Sure enough, I was able to find that the issue was not uncommon – for some reason the camera had slipped into “toy camera” mode, which once identified was easily fixed. The camera had also recorded the raw file, so all was not lost. The internet of everything strikes again thank goodness 😊.

LIVING ON THE EDGE

“I love to see the sunshine on the wings of the Dragonflies… there is magic in it.”

Ama H. Vanniarachchy

Incredibly, dragonflies (and their female companions, damselflies) can move at 45 miles-per-hour and can hover, fly up or down, fly backward or forward in either direction and mate in mid-air. They can see 360 degrees around themselves and use 80% of their brain power for sight. In most parts of the world they are symbolic of change and maturity, and to be touched by one is considered a sign of good fortune.

GOING GREEN

“I am a dragonfly, rising on the wings of unlocked dreams on the verge of magical things.”

Aimee Stewart

According to  Smithsonian.com, dragonflies have been with us some 300 million years and fossils of their ancient ancestors had wingspans up to 2 feet long. There are more than 5,000 known species including the Globe Skinner, which has the longest migration of any insect – 11,000 miles back and forth across the Indian Ocean. 

One of the things I enjoy about photography, and especially as it relates to  blogging, is that it pushes me to learn things I would otherwise never know. Such was the case this week as I studied this seemingly simple, yet actually incredibly complex and capable insect. Hopefully you’ve found it as interesting as I did!

 

Tags: insects

• June 17, 2018
• Dragonfly, Nature, Photo Essay, Photography
• 93 Comments