It will be a few more months until dragonflies reappear in our area, so for now I have to content myself with this one in my front yard that I photographed yesterday as the snow was gently falling. This metal dragonfly is part of a raised sprinkler that stands about three feet tall (about a meter).
I really like the way that the dragonfly has weathered and acquired various colors. I suppose I could talk of rust and tarnish, but I prefer to think of it as “patina.”
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Nice photo, Mike. I like ‘patina’ – ithjnk im developing that.
This dragonfly appears to be “weathering” the storms of life quite well! Unlike this Gem, he wears the burnishing of age beautifully. I do totally agree, patina does have a much nicer ring to it than rust and tarnish. Benjamin will adore this species of his beloved dragonflies too! Happy Groundhog Day! Thank-you, Mr. Mike!!
Knocked my socks off seeing your dragonfly! Nigel laughed and laughed when I showed him (delighted laughter). We have two big dragonflies, currently stored. They are made of mild steel wire (about 6mm) with chicken wire wings. A single dragonfly has a span of about 1/2 a metre he tells me. We’ve now bought a house and we’ll be able to get them properly displayed outside at last – a home for them too! Your dragonfly looks fantastic, especially with the snow on it! Ours sport a very rusty (rustic?) finish 🙂
Wow Mike! A Dragonfly in February! Plus it stayed still and did not fly off! I think it is a male Rusty Steel, which is very rare! I have only seen 2 others!
Awesome!
Patina not unlike the real dragonflies you photograph!!
Hahaha I saw the thumbnail which was quite small and I thought, “WOW!” and then laughed when I opened it.