Stalking the Wild Dragonflies

It's not that I haven't noticed nor appreciated them before..but I have not actively studied them, stalked them, photographed them nor tried to ID them..Now, camera, binoculars & ID books on standby, I stalk the wild dragonflies.. (please feel free to correct ID!!)

                                                    

                                                   Indian Island County Park

Female Painted Skimmer..ain't she sweet..
a Salt Marsh treat!

Dragonflies belong to the insect class: Odonata  from the Greek "odonto-", tooth, refering to the strong teeth found on the mandibles of most adults. These little beauties are predators, feeding on large numbers of smaller, flying insects..yum..mosquitoes!

The lifespan of an adult dragonfly is short, they live just long enough to mate and reproduce..several months at the most, and are more likely to die of predation than old age.

                                                              Hubbard County Park

Seaside Dragonlet, this is a female in "male form"
..a cross-dresser I guess

This is a female properly attired..
these little beauties swarmed the salt marsh

Seaside Dragonlets are the only dragonflies in the
Western Hemisphere that can breed in undiluted seawater

From the seaside to a pond..found deep within the newly opened Brookhaven State Park

Calico Pennant..enjoying the sedges pondside

They perch facing away from the water,
to search for mates..after all..there isn't much time..

Eastern Pondhawks..

Shared the ponds edge

As did a Damselfly.. Atlantic Bluet, I think

Damselflies are a different suborder of Odonata, (Zygoptera) with a more slender abdomen and wings held close to the body.

Today I saw the dragon-fly

Come from the well where he did lie...

Thro' crofts and pasteurs wet with dew..

A living flash of light he flew ~ Tennyson  (More will surely flit thro' this blog!)

How to Wash Windows..

First, gather all your equipment..point & shoot, DSLR, binoculars..Since you're on the deck to wash upstairs windows, might as well take a shot of the vegetable garden from the deck..

Those are self-planted Asian Raspberries on fence, left..I had thought they were native 'til a year ago. They're for the birds. Rubus odoratus (native Thimble Berry)  will eventually replace them..


Wait, what is that in the woods...??

A young Baltimore Oriole in the rose bush..

waiting for a chance at the berries...

 And look at the butterflies in the flowers...Camera in hand,  down to the garden..

 

Pink Edged Sulphur



Monarch in for a landing



Dreamy Dusky Wing (Skipper)





Northern Pearl Crescent, opened

And shut

Oh right, the windows..back up onto the deck, wax on, wax off..but look, young robins are searcing for berries!

They crouch, then fling themselves into the berries

A fledgling waiting on the fence



Makes it into the berries..

The window does get washed..one, one window..but this morning I don't even pretend..

 

Breakfast with a Bluejay

And a Robin

A Tiger Swallowtail drops by to say hi



American Painted Lady, case opened

And shut..the windows can wait!

To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else ~Emily Dickinson

Feeling Crabby

A sad post for a crab..a happy post for a Great White Egret, and an instructive observance for this naturalist.. How to eat live crab..

I have a crab.. I shall not let this kayaker have it..

I must dunk it & crush it to subdue it..over & over again

Yum!

Nature red, in tooth and claw~ Tennyson.. And beak...

Safari!

Our guide and spotter..note rifle in green case..
There was a slingshot too, in case we encountered Goliath

Safari? Or should I say wild rides in a Toyota Land Cruiser though the Bush Veldt of the Thornybush Preserve? No land untouched by the hand of man..but enticing and thrilling, none the less.

 

Why it is the "Thornybush" Preserve..Acacia genus

The mission of the guide and spotter was for us tourists to see as many animals as possible..and so we made our break neck way..Scenery shots, unless otherwise noted were taken with a Coolpix whilst hanging out of a moving vehicle..

 

Elephants were ubiquitous, and I would say we spent the most time viewing them..

Scenery shot..

Grasses were of major importance and
fed most of the animals we saw

Elephants and Impala taken from Simbambili Lodge deck

Closer look at Impala

Lascaux Cave painting..

We stop now for a bird. Birding was not on the menu, but our guide was a self-professed "twitcher" so would occasionally slow down for birds..of which there were many..birding in Africa is  now on my bucket list..

Ground Horbill not on the ground. Endangered

Looking for birds?

I feel pretty

Leaving now..

We pause for a Gray Curve Bill..plentiful

And a Zebra

Who do the Kudu that you do so well? (with Egyptian Goose)

The Happy Hippo..munched its way across the field
in front of the main lodge

While a Black Headed Oriole enjoyed a snack..

Hippos enjoying a swim..



Two-fer..Mammal & bird. Cape Buffalo and Ox Pecker,
a commensal tick eater.

The birds are also said to warn the buffalo of danger

There was a whole herd of the buffalo crossing the road..we watched for quite awhile, the white under the eyes is from the ears flapping off insects.

Lilac-Breasted Roller



Crested Francolin

Rhino poaching for the "magic" horn is a serious problem



The animals were surprisingly nonchalant about the Land Cruisers..they do not see them as a threat & the diesel smells mask the human odors..They would react differently if we stood up, or walked around..so we had to remain seated at all times..

Here kitty kitty..that is a land cruiser tire behind her..

The land cruisers really do..when the guide wanted to we ran down the "bush", small trees included..I had mixed feelings about that..

But that is how we sat next to the same Leopard
 who lay down next to the cruiser & fell asleep.

Yes, those spots belong to a pair of Cheetahs. We were very far away.
 It was the first time Cheetahs had been spotted in seven months.

There were two "game drives" every day. In the morning we stopped midway for coffee, in the evening at sunset for wine.

The only sunset where I was not flying along in the cruiser.
Before sips of wine..

 After sunset the spotter literally swept the "bush" with a spotlight to see what we could find.

You woke me up!

We saw Lions only at night, and I preferred the moodiness of this non-flash picture, even if poorly exposed..

 

Who tells a finer tale than any of us. Silence does ~Isac Dinesen (Out of Africa)