Happiness is finding beauty in unexpected places.
I try not to post too many things close together, but I was too excited about this to let it slide without posting.
No, I didn’t get a job.
Tonight I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. At first I thought it was a reflection off the rim of my eye-wear. Then I thought, Wait, is that a spider dangling in mid-air? So I looked, and I saw what I at first thought was the hugest arachnid I’d ever seen clutching the wall of my house.
But, no, after I stopped screaming hysterically (at least, in my head), I looked more closely, adjusted my spectacles, and realized I was seeing a beautiful dragonfly.
I gently encouraged the little critter up on my finger and, cupping my hands together, I went to show the winged beast to my wife, before setting it free. She suggested a photo. I readily agreed.
And you get to enjoy the fruits of our now-emancipated find.
Eat as many mosquitoes as you can find, little friend.
(Click the thumbnail above to see a larger version of the image (800×600). If you want a wallpaper-sized version (1024×768), click here.)
[tags]blogrodent, bug, bugs, fly, dragon-fly, close-up, dragonfly, insect, macro, macro-photography, photo, photography[/tags]
Rich,
After reading of your experience with the mosquitoe-hawk, I was reminded of a thought that I almost had a week or so ago. Our inability to see and hear God isn’t because He is invisible, inaudible or inaccessible…it is the result of our blindness and deafness. We are so busy that we don’t notice the burning bushes, much less hear the voice that says “you’re on holy ground.” It was refreshing to read of your amazment upon really seeing one of God’s little creatures. The voice of creation ever shouts, “He is Lord!”; but, we are too occupied to hear it. Again, thanks for sharing your glimpse through the keyhole!
Blessings,
lou
My grandsons are up in Virginia and called home the other day for me to investigate “black ladybugs”. I couldn’t find exactly what they had described to me, but was amazed to discover that not all of that species are simply the small, round, red with white polkadots, with which I am familiar. Annie Dillard is a favorite read for me, not only for her inquisitive search for God, but for her description of the incredible life forms He has created….
Great shot! Can you give us the technical details (lens, etc)?
By the way, I have another shot of this little feller out on my Flickr gallery. You can see him (or her?) here.
@Lou,
Thanks for your kindness. My wife mentioned that my blog entries all seem to have this devotional aspect to them. I wasn’t thinking this explicitly when I found the little critter (I love the mosquito-hawk term!), but when I sat down to blog on it and thought about it, I realized that I was excited about the little bug precisely because it was a beautiful thing.
I feel the same way when I see praying mantids.
@Jim,
I’ll confess, I’ve never seen black ladybugs! But I suppose most people have never had horned-toads in their back-yard either, which I did, growing up. Every part of the country does seem to have its unique critters that people outside that region never see. I found an emerald-colored dragon-fly last year, one of the rarest of sightings, usually found only around the Chicagoland area. I wish I’d taken a photo.
Why are dragon flies not afraid of humans?
@Kent,
Thanks for stopping by! And thanks for the compliment, too!
I took the shot with a Nikon Coolpix 3200, a fairly cheap digital camera I picked up for my wife a couple years ago. She uses it to document the kids lives. I steal it from her now and then to get my photography jones satisfied.
The dragon-fly is, clearly, resting on my index finger of my right hand. I shot the photo with my left hand, camera braced on my forearm. I went outside my garage and held my subject up near the exterior globe light outside my garage door. I didn’t want to use the built-in flash for this one since that tends to wash the colors out too much. Since there was plenty of light for the exposure, everything in the background faded to pure black.
Came out pretty nice for a cheap digicam!
Jennifer named him Harold. I know, not a useful detail, but one that I gladly share for free!
Rich
Wow – Great results with simple equipment and approach. I love it!
I’m finding this more and more as life goes on…
Maybe it’s my age. I think it’s wisdom though ;)
Bless ya
Dave
Rich,
We have a pond on our property and several other bodies of water nearby. I suspect we see about two dozen different species of dragonfly and damselfly (the latter fold their wings over their backs and are smaller). I’m with you; I love the things. I can’t believe how gorgeously colored some of them are. I also like Art Nouveau, and the dragonfly was a major theme in that art style’s jewelry and design.
Not that I’m a great big bug photographer (I rarely make pictures of bugs, really!), but I had a June Bug hitch a ride on my shoulder last night. So, I shot him.
Enjoy.
Rich.