As I was exploring a stream in Prince William County on Tuesday, I spotted a fallen tree at the edge of a rocky beach. I am not very good at identifying trees, but could not help but notice that this one had a lot of nuts on it. Someone or some creature had gathered a small pile of these green-skinned nuts at the edge of the water for unknown reasons. I think that these may be some kind of hickory nuts, judging from photos that I have seen on the internet, but I am really uncertain about that identification.
As I was examining that little pile of hickory nuts, a male Powdered Dancer damselfly (Argia moesta) flew by and landed on one of the nuts. I am always interested in photographing interesting perches for my dragonflies and damselflies and this perch is definitely out of the ordinary.
I love the graphic shape and color of the nuts and the way the image is bisected on an angle into distinct halves, each with its own distinctive colors and textures. The powdery coloration of the Powdered Dancer helps it to stand out and the damselfly helps to unify the two halves of the photo. My main subject takes up a comparatively small part of this image compared to most of my other shots, but I think the composition really works. I encourage you to click on the image to see the beautiful coloration of this little damselfly that is approximately 1.5 to 1.7 inches (38 to 43 mm) in length.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Very Nice Mike! Great Image!!
I know how conscientious you are of the background in your photos, Mike, and this one really takes the cake! Those nuts are fantastic. Exotic even. Clicking on the photo revealed the sparkling brown background too, and of course this very unique and ponderous creature. Wonderful art, and much appreciated.
Thanks, Jet. I sometimes feel like I bounce back and forth between playing a scientist and playing an artist when taking photos. Quite often I am trying to capture the anatomical details of a subject that help to identify it, a scientific task, but in the back of mind there is always a desire to do so in the most artistic way that I can. This image rates really high on the “art” scale–it is a cool photo that is unusual and beautiful. I kind of thought that you would really like it. 🙂
Thank you for sharing such a nice part of nature.
Thanks. I love to share what I see in nature with others, with a goal of helping them to see and appreciate the beauty that is all around us.
I’m always amazed by the detail that is captured by the lens and of course by the photographer. Thanks for sharing your passion.
Great composition.
I needed no encouragement to click for the larger view! Love how there’s a complementary rusty colour on damselfly and the nut it chose to land on. The nuts have interesting and distinctive features. Great photo Mike!
Thanks, Liz. There are lots of cool things about this photo that I really like and you have definitely highlighted some of them.
Great composition and an interesting nut perch, Mike! I find it fascinating the various textures and contours the dragonflies and damselflies will perch on and this is a great example of an out of the ordinary option.
Indeed, Ellen, I have seen dragonflies and damselflies perch on a variety of surfaces including on me. The nuts, though, have to me one of the most unusual perching places that I have observed.