Whenever I visit Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge, I never fail to check a spot near a fishing platform where there is a piece of twisted rebar sticking out of the water. In the past, I have seen dragonflies of various species perching on the rebar and it provides a wonderful photographic opportunity, assuming that the dragonfly does not immediately fly away. I generally prefer to photograph dragonflies on natural perches, not on manmade ones, but this is a case when I am more than happy to break that “rule.”
On Tuesday I was delighted to spot a male Eastern Amberwing dragonfly (Perithemis tenera) perched on the aforementioned piece of rebar. I love the contrast between the colors, patterns, and textures of the natural object, the dragonfly, and those of the man-made subject, the rebar. The floating debris on the surface of the pond helps to break up the mostly uniform background without being visually distracting.
I have taken similar shots to this one multiple times, but I don’t mind repeating myself. Each encounter is unique and subtly different. As the Greek philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus is reported to have said, “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and he is not the same man.”
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
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