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Posts Tagged ‘Tamron 18-400mm’

Dragonfly Pole Vaulter

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , , on August 29, 2023| 7 Comments »

Calico Pennant dragonflies (Celithemis elisa) often remind me of pole vaulters. They hold on to a long, narrow “pole” at the very end and flex it, as though they were trying to propel themselves over a bar. I spotted this handsome male Calico Pennant last Saturday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, one of the few local spots where I encounter this spectacular species.

This will probably be my last blog posting this week. I will be driving from Virginia to Massachusetts later today to deal with some family issues and will return home this coming weekend, when I hope to resume my habit of posting nature and wildlife photos almost daily.

Calico Pennant

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Male Widow Skimmer in late August

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on August 28, 2023| 6 Comments »

I spotted this handsome male Widow Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula luctuosa) this past Saturday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Only the males of this species have white patches on their wings—the females have only the dark patches.

The Latin name for this species includes the word “luctuosa,” which means “sorrowful” or “mournful.” Apparently someone thought that the dark patches on the wings of dragonflies of this species looked like the kind of mourning crepe veils that traditionally widows were supposed to wear up to four years to show their grief.

I think that I have been reading too many warnings about people taking advantage of older people, because the name “Widow Skimmer” initially conjured up visions of young gigolos chasing after rich old ladies in Florida who have lost their husbands.

Widow Skimmer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Great Blue Heron in a tree

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on August 27, 2023| 7 Comments »

I inadvertently spooked a Great Blue Heron (Aredea herodias) on Wednesday at Occoquan Regional Park and captured this first image as it flew up to a perch high in a nearby tree. It was really cool to see the heron’s impressive wingspan as it came in for a landing in the tree. The second image shows the Great Blue Heron as it surveyed its surroundings from its new perch.

When I was just starting out in wildlife photography, I remember being shocked the first time that I saw a Great Blue Heron in a tree. I somehow had assumed that they spent all of their time in the shallow water or at the edge of ponds. Little did I know at that time that Great Blue Herons build their nests in the trees and often spend their nights roosting in trees to protect themselves from potential predators.

Great Blue Heron

Great Blue Heron

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

 

 

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Halloween Pennant on gamagrass

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , , on August 26, 2023| 2 Comments »

Last Monday I spotted this striking female Halloween Pennant dragonfly (Celithemis eponina) perched high in the eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides) at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. It was somewhat unusual for me to have a chance to photograph a dragonfly above eye level and I did my best to isolate the subject against the pale blue sky.

I really like the minimalism of this composition.  The color and texture of the gamagrass add some visual interest to the image without distracting the viewer from the primary subject.

Halloween Pennant

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly

Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on August 25, 2023| 4 Comments »

I was excited to spot this beautiful Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly (Papilio glaucus) on Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Most years I spot lots of these butterflies, but for some reason I have not seen one in quite some time this summer.

I love the beautiful coloration of this Eastern Tiger Swallowtail and believe that it is a female. Males of this species are almost exclusively yellow and black, while females are more vividly colored, with strongly pronounced cells of orange and a greater degree of iridescent blue on the lower wings.

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Which photo is best?

Posted in Art, Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , on August 24, 2023| 9 Comments »

When I am writing a blog posting with multiple photos, I will usually lead with the “best” photo. Most of the time I have a clear favorite image, but today I struggled a bit in trying to decide which image of a Calico Pennant (Celithemis elisa) was the “best” one. I was delighted on Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge to have multiple opportunities to photograph male Calico Pennants, which are among the most striking dragonflies that I encounter, thanks to their bold coloration and wonderfully patterned wings.

From a technical perspective, the first image could be considered the “best.” The background is pleasantly blurred and virtually all of the dragonfly’s features are in sharp focus. Graphically this image stands out, even when viewed as a thumbnail on a cell phone.

The background in the second image is considerably more cluttered than in the first image. However, I think the color contrast between the bright red of the dragonfly and the pinkish-purple colors in the background makes it easy to see the primary subject. The vegetation helps to provide the viewer with a sense of the environment in which I photographed the dragonfly.

The third image was the most challenging to capture. Several Calico Pennants were flying around over the waters of a pond and I was thrilled to capture this in-flight shot, my first such photo of this species. Most of the other dragonflies that I have photographed as they were flying were considerably larger—a Calico Pennant is only about 1.3 inches (33 mm) in length—and it took a lot of persistence and concentration to get this shot.

The final shot was a lucky one. I was focused on the perched dragonfly and reacted quickly when it took off. From an artistic perspective, I really like this image. The mottled colors of the pond works well as a backdrop for the action and the contrast between the muddy brown and the bright red of the dragonfly makes the subject “pop.” I love the texture of the branch and the branch helps to lead the viewer’s eyes to the dragonfly. Finally, the dragonfly’s wing patterns are displayed beautifully as I managed to capture a moment when they were fully extended.

I don’t know if it is possible for me to state definitively which one of these images is the “best”—I like each of them for different reasons. Is there one that stands out to you more than the others? I’d welcome your views on this question.

Calico Pennant

Calico Pennant

Calico Pennant

Calico Pennant

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Black Vultures

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on August 23, 2023| 7 Comments »

The gloomy feel of this photo seems perfect for these two Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) that I spotted in a dead tree on Monday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Many people find vultures to be creepy, probably because they feed on the carcasses of dead animals. I remember too watching cowboy movies when I was growing up in which vultures would be circling overhead, waiting for people to die in the desert wastelands.

There were lots of vultures circling overhead on Monday and in situations like that, I jokingly tell people that I try to move about a lot, lest the vultures mistake me for a potential meal.  In my area, we have both turkey vultures and black vultures. They are pretty easy to tell apart, because turkey vultures have very distinctive red heads and black vultures have black heads. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, “Whereas Turkey Vultures are lanky birds with teetering flight, Black Vultures are compact birds with broad wings, short tails, and powerful wingbeats. The two species often associate: the Black Vulture makes up for its poor sense of smell by following Turkey Vultures to carcasses.”

The light was coming mostly from behind the two birds, which created the silhouette-like effect that you see in the image below. I lightened the shadows a little, but I like the starkness of the almost monochromatic view of these birds in which most of their details are suggested, but hidden. I think it works well with the simple structure of the branches of the dead tree. Unlike most of my images that concentrate on detailed views of my subjects, this image is more about mood and shapes.

Black Vultures

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Big Bluet damselfly

Posted in damselfly, Insects, Macro Photography, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on August 22, 2023| 8 Comments »

Yesterday it was hot and humid and there was an air quality alert because of smoke from the Canadian wildfires. I was therefore not too surprised when I pulled into the parking lot at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge to see that I was the only car there. As I have mentioned previously, I prefer to enjoy nature alone whenever possible, so I was quite pleased that I had the refuge to myself.

It was about midday, so I knew that the birds would not be very active—they tend to be more active in the early morning and later afternoon—but I knew that many insects prefer the warmest periods of the day. I saw quite a few Big Bluet damselflies (Enallagma durum) in the vegetation near the water. As its name suggests, this damselfly is quite large—up to 1.7 inches (43 mm)—and is primarily a coastal species.

This was my favorite shot of the day of a Big Bluet. I like the overall cool tones of the image and the way that the vegetation fades into background, allowing the viewer to focus on the wonderful details of this beautiful Big Bluet.

Big Bluet

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Hover fly and Susan

Posted in Flowers, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , on August 21, 2023| 2 Comments »

When I first started taking nature photos more than ten years ago, I probably would have assumed that this yellow and black insect was a bee. With the benefit of accumulate experience, I can identify it as some kind of Hover Fly. Hover flies, also called flower flies or syrphid flies, are quite common—according to Wikipedia there are about 6000 species of hover flies worldwide, so I don’t feel bad that I cannot identify the species of this one.

I spotted the hover fly during a recent visit to Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge as it was feeding on a Black-eyed Susan flower (Rudbeckia hirta). Both the insect and the flower are made up of varying shades of yellow and brown and they seem to complement each other pretty well. I also like the way that the lines on the petals of the flower mirror the marking on the insect’s body.

hover fly

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

 

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Almost hidden

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on August 20, 2023| 1 Comment »

Female Eastern Pondhawk dragonflies (Erythemis simplicicollis) are quite easy to spot when they are out in the open—they are bright emerald green in color and have distinctive black stripes on their abdomens. When they land in a grassy area, however, they virtually disappear from sight, thanks to their almost perfect camouflage.

During a recent visit to Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge, I spotted this Eastern Pondhawk while it was flying and watch it land on this fallen branch. If I had not seen the dragonfly land and it had remained still on its perch, I doubt that I would have detected its presence.

Eastern Pondhawk

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Slaty Skimmers

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , on August 16, 2023| 2 Comments »

One of the most common dragonflies that I see at this time of the year is the Slaty Skimmer (Libellula incesta). Male Slaty Skimmers have dark bodies and dark eyes and are pretty easy to identify. Slaty Skimmers tend to perch on bare stalks and one of my challenges in photographing them is to try to frame my shots so that the background is interesting.

Here are three images in which I tried to use a bit of my creativity in the way that I composed the shots by including some of the vegetation, as in the first and second shots, or by focusing on lines and angles, as in the final photo.

I am making another trip this week to Massachusetts and Maine to deal with some family issues, so this may be my last blog post of the week. I am planning to return on Saturday, so perhaps there will be a new posting on Sunday morning.

Slaty Skimmer

Slaty Skimmer

Slaty Skimmer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

 

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Balancing act

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on August 15, 2023| 2 Comments »

I was intrigued by the varying wing positions of this Banded Pennant dragonfly (Celithemis fasciata) that I spotted last week at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge. There was a bit of a breeze and this little dragonfly was doing its best to hold on to the vegetation by adjusting its wings.

Although each wing can function independently from the others, it appeared that the dragonfly mostly moved them in pairs. I was particularly struck in the first photo by the way that the front wings of the Banded Pennant were tilted forward, while its back wings were held flat horizontally.

Banded Pennant

Banded Pennant

Banded Pennant

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

 

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Swift Setwing in August

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on August 14, 2023| 3 Comments »

I was happy to see that at least a few Swift Setwing dragonflies (Dythemis velox) were still around this past Friday at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge. We are gradually moving to a time of the summer when some dragonfly species decrease in numbers or disappear. Fortunately, a few fall species will appear soon to take their places.

Swift Setwing

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Stream damselflies

Posted in damselfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , on August 13, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Most of the damselflies that I photograph are found at ponds. However, there are other damselflies that are found primarily at streams and creeks. I spotted two such species this past Tuesday when I was exploring a creek in Prince William County, Virginia.

The damselfly in the first photo is a Powdered Dancer (Argia moesta) that I spotted on a rocky ledge of the creek. Male Powdered Dancers are the only mostly white damselflies that I have seen and they get increasingly white as they mature. I love the way the angle of the shot makes it look like the damselfly was perched on the side of a massive mountain that it was attempting to climb.

The damselfly in the second photo is a Dusky Dancer (Argia translata). This damselfly may have the most intense blue eyes that I have ever seen on an insect. It was perched on a rocky ledge at the edge of a creek. I would have liked to get a closer shot, but the bank of the creek was high and steep and the ledge was inaccessible to me (unless I was willing to get really wet, which I did not want to do).

According to Wikipedia, the damselflies in the genus Argia, are commonly known as “dancers” because of the distinctive jerky form of flight they use which contrasts with the straightforward direct flight of bluets, forktails, and other pond damselflies.

Powdered Dancer

Dusky Dancer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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A few more dragonflies in flight

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , on August 12, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Yesterday I had the chance to test my skill and my patience as I tried to capture images of dragonflies in flight at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge. I believe they are a Royal River Cruiser (Macromia taeniolata), a Prince Baskettail (Epitheca cynosura), and a Russet-tipped Clubtail (Stylurus plagiatus), members of three different families of dragonflies.

The Royal River Cruiser is the most uncommon of these three species—I have only seen one a few times and this is the first time that I have gotten a decent shot of one. Cruisers are large dragonflies with large eyes and long legs that generally fly up and down streams or rivers or along lake shores. I did not expect to see one at the small pond at this refuge, but there is an adjacent wetland and a small stream, so maybe the dragonfly made a detour in its patrol over those areas. This dragonfly followed the shore of the pond and flew fast in a single direction.

The Prince Baskettail is the most common of the three dragonflies and I have featured in-flight shots of this species multiple times. The Prince Baskettail appears to have a portion of the shoreline as its territory and it flies back and forth, giving me multiple opportunities to get a shot. This dragonfly has amazing stamina and rarely seems to rest—in ten years of observing dragonflies, I have seen a perched Prince Baskettail only a couple of times.

The Russet-tipped Clubtail is a dragonfly that appears in the late summer and I usually spot one when it is hanging from the vegetation. This one was the first sighting for me of the species this season. Although the dragonfly never came close to the shore, the distinctive color of its “tail” made it easy for me to identify it, even when it was flying.

In case any of you are curious, I captured all of these images with my Canon 7D DSLR and my Tamron 18-400mm zoom lens. Sometimes I focus manually when trying to photographing dragonflies in flight, but I believe I used my camera’s autofocus for these shots with a group of nine focus points in the center selected.

Royal River Cruiser

Prince Baskettail

Russet-tipped Clubtail

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Halloween Pennant in August

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , on August 11, 2023| 3 Comments »

On Tuesday I was thrilled to spot the distinctive color and patterns of a Halloween Pennant (Celithemis eponina) dragonfly as I was exploring a field adjacent to a creek in Prince William County, Virginia. The Halloween Pennant’s wings are orange in color with dark brown bands, the Halloween inspiration for its common name.

Like other “pennant” dragonflies, Halloween Pennants like to perch at the tips of plants, as you can see in these images, which causes them to wave like pennants in even the slightest breezes. I love the way the photos how the dragonfly uses its three sets of legs to grasp the vegetation, ensuring that it can hold on even when the wind is blowing hard.

Halloween Pennant

Halloween Pennant

Halloween Pennant

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Fawn Darner dragonfly

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , on August 9, 2023| 4 Comments »

I spotted this cool-looking dragonfly yesterday when it flew to a hanging perch in some shaded vegetation along a creek in Prince William County. I was walking along a trail parallel to the creek and was primarily looking towards the water. Out of the corner of my eye, I detected some movement and spotted where the dragonfly had landed.

A couple of things immediately stood out to me. The dragonfly was hanging vertically, which meant that it was probably not one of the more common skimmers that I am used to seeing at this time of the year. I noted too that the dragonfly was long and skinny and, realizing that my camera was going to have trouble focusing on the dragonfly, I switched to manual focusing. I was able to snap off only a couple of shots before the dragonfly flew away and despite my efforts to relocate it, I was not able to find the dragonfly again.

When I looked on the back of my camera at the images that I had captured, I was not able to identify the dragonfly. When I returned home, I looked through my dragonfly guides and determined that it was a Fawn Darner dragonfly (Boyeria vinosa), a new species for me. Some experts in a Facebook dragonfly group confirmed my identification.

According to the Dragonflies of Northern Virginia website, “Unlike most other darners, and in fact most dragonflies, Fawns shun open, sunny areas. They spend the day hiding in dense, shady underbrush, hanging from the branches of shrubs and young trees. Around 4PM they start venturing out to patrol their shady, forest streams, peaking from about 6PM-8PM.” I encountered the Fawn Darner around midday, so I may have been disturbing its resting period.

Wildlife and nature photographers use many different approaches. Some of them go out to researched locations with a goal of seeing specific species—they are very targeted in their tactics. Others, like me, are opportunistic photographers who wander about, ready to react to whatever they encounter. Although I do love to spot species that are new to me, as was the case with this Fawn Darner, such encounters tend to be almost serendipitous—I tend to stumble upon new species.

Fawn Darner

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Male Widow Skimmer dragonfly

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on August 6, 2023| 3 Comments »

Here’s a shot of a handsome male Widow Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula luctuosa) that I spotted this past Monday at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge. The Widow Skimmer is one of only a few dragonfly species that I have encountered that has both white and brown markings on its wings. (the male Twelve-spotted Skimmer dragonfly is the only other one that immediately comes to mind and you can see what one looks like in my 31 May 2021 posting entitled Twelve-spotted Skimmer.

Backgrounds are always tricky when photographing insects perched in highly vegetated areas. I think the stalks of vegetation are blurred enough in the first image that they do not draw attention away from the main subject. I think, in fact, the the green and tan lines add some visual interest to the image that would be lacking if the entire background were a solid color. The background in the second image is a bit busier, but you get a much better view of the dragonfly’s wing patterns—wildlife photography is often a matter of compromise in which “perfection” is often unachievable.

Widow Skimmer

Widow Skimmer

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Spider on lily pad

Posted in Arachnids, Nature, Photography, spiders, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on August 4, 2023| 1 Comment »

I usually scan the surfaces of lily pads whenever I see them, hoping to spot frogs perched on them. I did not see any frogs last week during a visit to Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge, but I did spot a cool-looking Six-spotted Fishing Spider (Dolomedes triton).

Normally I see these fishing spiders in shallow water at the edge of ponds with some of their legs on the surface of the water to sense the vibrations of potential prey. When they do, they capture the prey by walking across the water, prompting some people to refer to them as “Jesus spiders.”

Six-spotted Fishing Spider

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Prince Baskettails in flight

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on August 3, 2023| 6 Comments »

On Monday I spent several hours at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge, focusing my attention primarily on trying to capture shots of Prince Baskettail dragonflies (Epitheca cynosura) in flight. There appeared to be several of them patrolling over the waters of the small pond and I managed to find some good vantage points that gave me unobstructed views of them as they passed by.

One of the locations where I spotted a Prince Baskettail included some lily pads and I decided to try to include them in the shots to give a sense of the environment. The downside of this approach, though, was that it made it even harder to keep my camera’s focus on the dragonfly—the camera kept trying to focus on the background. I was persistent, however, and managed to get a few good shots, as you can see in the first three images below.

I took the final image at a different spot where there were no lily pads. This shot is undoubtedly the sharpest one of today’s photos. Although you can’t see much of the environment in the image, the ripples in the water do add some visual interest.

I couldn’t help but notice that the dragonfly in the final photo had its legs in a lower position than normally—generally a Prince Baskettail flies with its legs held tightly against its thorax to present the most aerodynamic profile. I know that some dragonfly species catch prey on the fly with their legs extended like a basket and wonder if that was what this dragonfly was attempting to do.

Prince Baskettail

Prince Baskettail

Prince Baskettail

Prince Baskettail

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

 

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Female Eastern Amberwing dragonfly

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on August 2, 2023| 1 Comment »

Eastern Amberwing (Perithemis tenera) dragonflies are the smallest dragonflies in my area at less than an inch (25 mm) in length, but are quite common. I often spot the distinctive amber wings of the males as they fly low over the waters of many ponds. Females of this species, however, do not have amber wings—they have brown patches on their wings—and I rarely see them.

According to the Dragonflies of Northern Virginia website, female Eastern Amberwings are often found far from water, in meadows among summer wildflowers. “They’re probably hunting even smaller visitors to these summer blooms like midges, flower flies and tiny bees. They also share their colorful perches with hornets and other wasps. Perhaps, this is how their mimicry behavior evolved, and may explain why females appear to practice it more than males.”

On Monday I was thrilled to spot this female while I was exploring a pond at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge. I am not sure if she had ventured down to the pond to mate, but whatever the case I was happy to capture some shots of her as she buzzed about the vegetation surrounding the pond. I love her two-toned eyes and the beautiful markings on her body.

Eastern Amberwing

Eastern Amberwing

Eastern Amberwing

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Inclined turtle

Posted in Nature, Reptiles, Summer, turtle, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , on August 1, 2023| 4 Comments »

When the weather is nice, many turtles emerge from the waters of the ponds to bask in the sunlight. Often I will see turtles jammed so close together on logs that it looks like a mall parking lot just before Christmas.

During a recent visit to Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge, I spotted an Eastern Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta picta) that had found a solitary perch that was just big enough for a single turtle. The only problem was that the tree was sticking out from the water at a sharp angle. I could not tell, but suspect that the turtle had dug the claws in its front feet into the bark to keep from sliding into the water.

I love the serene look on the face of this turtle—it seemed to be in a meditative state, a picture of peaceful contentment.

Painted Turtle

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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Pearl Crescent in July

Posted in Butterflies, Flowers, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , on July 31, 2023| 4 Comments »

July is finally coming to an end, a month of endless hot, hazy, and humid days. It has been tough to get myself motivated to go out with my camera and I have been forced to keep my outings relatively short. Weather-wise autumn is my favorite time of the year, but we have a lot more summer weather to endure before the cooling temperatures of autumn arrive.

During a recent visit to Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge I was delighted to spot this Pearl Crescent butterfly (Phyciodes tharos). It was feeding in a patch of what looked to be Black-eyed Susan flowers (Rudbeckia hirta), although I must confess that I am not very good at identifying flowers, so my identification may not be accurate.

Initially the little butterfly perched with its wings only partially open, but I waited patiently and eventually it fully extended its wings and I was able to capture this image. It is a relatively simple composition, but I really like the way that it gives you a sense of the environment while also showing you the beautiful markings of the Pearl Crescent butterfly.

pearl crescent

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Water Lilies

Posted in Art, Flowers, Nature, Photography, Summer, Water Lilies, tagged , , , , , , , , on July 30, 2023| 3 Comments »

Whenever I see Water Lilies in bloom, I immediately think of one of my favorite artists—Claude Monet. During the last thirty years of his life, water lilies (Nymphéas in French) were the main focus of his artistic production. One of the museums that I most love visiting is the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris, because it houses eight massive water lily murals by Monet in two specially-built oval rooms. It is incredibly peaceful to just sit in one of those rooms, surrounded by those amazing paintings.

During a visit to Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens in Washington D.C. in mid-July, I chose to focus my attention on capturing portraits of individual flowers (or a couple, in the case of the first photo), rather than trying to capture the expanse of water lilies in multiple ponds. There is something really peaceful and pure about water lilies that calms and soothes me and tends to put me into a contemplative mood.

I have returned from my short road trip to Massachusetts and Maine and am still feeling a bit of residual fatigue after spending almost twelve hours in my car yesterday. I hope to resume my normal posting schedule with some new photos soon. Thanks to all of you who have continued to read some of my older postings while I have been mostly absent from the internet this past week.

water lily

water lily

water lily

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

 

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Swift Setwing dragonflies

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on July 25, 2023| 3 Comments »

I was excited to spot several Swift Setwing dragonflies (Dythemis velox) last Saturday along the edges of the pond at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge. This species gets its name from the way that the way the Swift Setwings perch with their wings forward and abdomens up, like the “ready, set, go” position of a runner at a track meet.

The Swift Setwing is primarily a southern species that may never before have been spotted in Fairfax County, Virginia, the county where I live, until June 2016, when I spotted one at the same wetland refuge. (See my 25 June 2016 blog posting for details on my first sighting of the species.) Every year since then, I have excitedly looked forward to seeing these little dragonflies—it is pretty clear by now that there is an established breeding population at this pond. This is the only location where I have seen Swift Setwings, though I heard from a friend that they may have also been found at another local spot.

I am driving up to Massachusetts and Maine on Tuesday to handle some family issues and suspect that I will not be posting a blog until my return late on Saturday. After then I hope to return to my normal schedule of doing a blog posting almost every day.

Swift Setwing

Swift Setwing

Swift Setwing

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Unusual Amberwing Perches

Posted in Art, Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on July 24, 2023| 5 Comments »

During the summer, most of my dragonfly photos tend to be variations of the stereotypical “dragonfly on a stick.” I am always on the lookout, though, for more interesting or photogenic perching places and behaviors.

The first shot shows a male Eastern Amberwing dragonfly (Perithemis tenera) perched on the end of a piece of rebar that sticks out of the water near a small fishing dock at Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge. Generally I try to avoid having manmade objects in my nature photos, but in this case I really like the juxtaposition of the natural and manmade elements in this shot. The warm tones of the amber wings contrast nicely with the cooler rust color of the rebar and the lines on the rebar are mirrored by those on the dragonfly’s body. Almost every year I return to this spot to capture a similar image, though each encounter is unique in its own way.

The second image shows another male Eastern Amberwing perched on a large rock jutting out from the water. I couldn’t get close to the dragonfly so I took the opposite approach and zoomed out to capture the dragonfly’s reflection (as well as the amber shadow it was casting on the rock). I really like the contrast between the diminutive size of the dragonfly and the large jagged rock—it seems almost like a visual metaphor for life’s challenges.

These two shots are examples of how I try, when possible, to visualize a shot before I take it. Frequently, though, I am forced to react instantaneously to a given situation, with a primary goal of keeping my subject within the frame and hopefully in focus. It’s a weird mental juggling act to simultaneously attempt to think creatively, instinctively, instinctively, and analytically—that’s wildlife photography in a nutshell.

Eastern Amberwing

Eastern Amberwing

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Great Spangled Fritillary

Posted in Butterflies, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on July 23, 2023| 3 Comments »

It seems like large butterflies have been more scarce than normal this summer. I was therefore thrilled to spot this Great Spangled Fritillary butterfly (Speyeria cybele) yesterday during a brief visit to Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge. Most of the time the butterfly had its head buried in the flower, but for a brief moment the butterfly raised its head, spread its wings, and let me capture this pretty little portrait image.

Great Spangled Fritillary

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Banded Pennants in July

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , on July 22, 2023| 3 Comments »

There is only one local location where I have found Banded Pennant dragonflies (Celithemis fasciata) in the past and in some years I have not seen a single one there. I was hopeful that I would see some on Thursday when I returned to Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge and my hopes were rewarded. Not only did I spot several Banded Pennants, but they were cooperative in choosing some photogenic perching locations for me.

Like other pennant dragonflies, Banded Pennants like to perch on the very tips of vegetation, which causes them to flap around a bit in the slightest breeze, like a pennant. I love the patterned wings of Banded Pennants, which cause them to stand out from several other small blue dragonflies that I saw that day. As you can see from the photos, the Banded Pennants mostly perched on plants overhanging the water or on vegetation growing out of the water.

At the last minute I decided to add the final photo, despite the fact that the dragonfly occupies only a small part of the frame. I really like the reflections of the plants in the water and did not want to zoom in and lose them. I also like the way that the image shows a Banded Pennant zooming low over the water in between the plants. If you look closely you can see the way that the dragonfly has tucked in its legs in order to be a bit more aerodynamic when flying.

Banded Pennant

Banded Pennant

Banded Pennant

Banded Pennant

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Dragonflies in flight

Posted in Dragonflies, dragonfly, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, wildlife, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 21, 2023| 15 Comments »

Yesterday I visited Jackson Miles Abbott Wetland Refuge and spent a lot of my time there trying to get shots of dragonflies in flight. The dragonflies were not very cooperative and kept their distance most of the time, but eventually I managed to get a few decent shots. What was especially cool was that I captured images of dragonflies from three different families—Skimmer, Darner, and Emerald.

The first photo shows a Banded Pennant (Celithemis fasciata), a Skimmer, as he was flying toward me. Banded Pennants are pretty small at about 1.3 inches (33 mm) in length, so I was pretty thrilled to capture this shot as he was flying toward me. This was actually the first time that I had seen a Banded Skimmer this season.

The second photo shows a Cyrano Darner (Nasiaeschna pentacantha). Despite the fact that I took the shot from a long distance away, you can still see the prominent “nose” that is supposedly reminiscent of the long nose of literary character Cyrano de Bergerac.

The last two photos show Prince Baskettails (Epitheca cynosura) that are members of the Emerald family. Prince Baskettails, which are about 2.9 inches (74 mm) are quite easy to identify, because they are the only large dragonfly in our area with patterned wings. I had more opportunities with this species that with the others, because several Prince Baskettails were flying repetitive patrols only various parts of the pond and passed by me multiple times. Although it is a little easier to focus on a dragonfly in flight when the background is clear, I think it is even cooler when I manage to include reflections in the water in a photo, as was the case with the reflections of the branches in the final photo.

Banded Pennant

Cyrano Darner

Prince Baskettail

Prince Baskettail

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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Water lily and bees

Posted in Bees, Flowers, Insects, Nature, Photography, Summer, Water Lilies, tagged , , , , , , , , , on July 20, 2023| 2 Comments »

There must have been something really special about this pretty pink water lily at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. A honey bee was attracted to it and plunged headfirst into the center of the flower after perching momentarily on a petal. A bumble bee decided to join in the action and for a brief period worked side-by-side with its smaller cousin gathering pollen and nectar.

As I was looking at the photos on my computer, I couldn’t help but notice the cluster of tiny insects on the stem of the water lily. What were they? I posed the question in a Facebook forum and it turns out that they are probably Common Waterlily Planthoppers (Megamelus davisi).  I took photos of several other nearby water lilies, but this was the only one in which I saw the planthoppers. There must have been something really special about this pink water lily that caused it to attract so many insects.

water lily

water lily

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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A few more lotuses

Posted in Art, Flowers, Nature, Photography, Summer, Travel, tagged , , , , , , , , on July 19, 2023| 2 Comments »

Beauty expresses itself in so many different ways. That was the thought that was running through my head as I reviewed my photos from my recent visit to Washington D.C. to photograph lotuses and water lilies at Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens. Actually I had a similar thought when I was there with my camera—how could I possibly capture a sense of the moment, of the shapes and colors that were overwhelming my senses?

I have already shared some photos of Sacred Lotuses and American Lotuses in previous blog postings, but I have so many more images that I like that I feel compelled to share a few more images of Sacred Lotuses (Nelumbo nucifera). I hope you don’t mind.

Sometimes I describe what I like about the photos in a blog posting, but this time I will let you enjoy them without my commentary. My only recommendation is that you click on the images to see more of the details of these wonderful flowers. Enjoy the experience as seen through my eyes and the lens of my camera.

Sacred Lotus

Sacred Lotus

Sacred Lotus

Sacred Lotus

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

 

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