I've been lucky when taking pictures of dragonflies and damselflies this summer. We have a wide variety and quantity of dragons and damsels around the pond and the streams nearby. If I miss the shot on one I just move along and there will likely be another opportunity just a few feet away. Or I can sometimes just sit in the prime areas and the dragonflies will come near enough to photograph.
Some of the species are more timid than others and spook more easily so it is hard to approach them for a good shot. It seems that some, however, are not overly concerned about a big human as long as I don't move too suddenly or too close. And some even seem to pose for the photo.
I've often had dragons and damsels land on me 
while I am taking photo's. I was shooting this guy down by the pond and after I got several shots I decided to try putting my hand below him to provide a perspective as to his size.
As I dropped my hand down below the stick
on which he was perched he decided to hop off the stick onto my hand. Of course I had the camera in my other hand and was able to get a couple of shots before he left evidently to go looking for a little snack.
On another occasion I was down next to the water's 
edge taking photo's of this colorful Calico Pennant when I noticed the constant flitting of a damselfly around where I was standing.
I continued taking the photo's of the Calico but all 
of a sudden the damsel found that my sneaker made a good place to land. (I was glad I had on a decent looking pair of sneakers rather than that grubby old pair I normally wear down to the pond.)
I've had several other instances of dragons and damsels selecting various places on my body for a landing spot, but most didn't stay long when I started shifting the camera around to take a photo. Just a few days ago a beautiful damselfly landed on the hand with which I was holding the camera.
Sometimes they land on my shoulder or upper arm. I frequently wonder if perhaps they have landed on my shoulders or back and I never knew. I'm still waiting for one to land on my nose. Now that might make for an interesting shot. Or not.
2 months ago
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Absolutely marvelous ! Your photos are fantastic.
ReplyDeletewhen i was little i used to hunt for dragonflies. here is how i did it. when i saw them land on leaves, i walked surreptitiously and caught them by the wings. there were dragonflies that i set free, there were those i dissected.
ReplyDeleteHey graceanne - thanks for the kind words
ReplyDeletebingskee - lol - I may have caught a few myself when I was young - now most of my capturing is with the camera - thanks for the visit and comments - Good to see you again
Hi Baker I would love to see a dragonfly on your nose....the image amused me......
ReplyDeleteA wonderful post...how lucky you are having a wildlife pond....dragon and damselflies are so beautiful....I could watch them all day....
Lovely photographs and beautiful clean trainers!!!!!
Wonderful photos..have you been able to identify any of the damsels? I am trying to catalog what I have here.
ReplyDeleteLOL cheryl - the thought of a big picture of my nose on the internet amused me, too. - Glad I had those trainers on so I could use the pic - Maybe one day I will post a pic of the old grubby ones, lol
ReplyDeletemichelle - We've been trying to identify all the dragons and damsels but I have been a little reluctant to include their names in posts at times until I'm a little more organized. I have literally hundreds of pics of dragons and damsels sorted into multiple folders by general or specific types. I've been browsing the web and have a collection of dragon/damsel sites for resources and I will just have to sit down and go through the pics and try to identify them all.
I have created a folder on PicasaWeb that is still in the works to provide names and descriptions. If you visit you can sort of see where I'm trying to go with it with the captions and comments.
http://picasaweb.google.com/bakerwatson/DamselsAndDragonsWithButter
And thanks so much for the link on your blog. Yours is up and running in our sidebar.
I don't think I've ever seen a Damselfly in real life...
ReplyDeleteblue - Thanks for the visit
ReplyDeleteYou should go out and try to find a few damselflies. They are really remarkable and vary in appearance more than dragonflies. All damsels hold their wings together when they perch, but some have wings that normally run parallel to their body while others have wings that are held closed but upright.
I've found that the damsels tend to like shady areas and seem to prefer green, leafy perches compared to dragons which prefer the bright sun and more sturdy perches such as sticks and limbs. Damsels seem to resemble butterflies in their flight patterns. The often just flit about from perch to perch while dragonflies really zoom along.
If you decide to go looking for some let us know how it works out.
Baker..I have found that Bugguide.net is really great. I upload a photo of some insect or another and someone knows what it is. The last one was identified by a teenager with an interest in moths. Let me get the link...
ReplyDeletehttp://bugguide.net/node/view/15740
A green heron came into today and skulked around the pond allowing me to get some shots..then some kids came and scared it..sigh
michelle - Thanks for the link - I'll add that one to my list of resources
ReplyDeleteWe love our green herons, too - I only wish we could have gotten a photo of the one we rescued but that was a few weeks before we started the blog and we didn't have the camera with us - I think it is still fine as we daily have two visiting at the same time
I love the photos of your dragonflies, they are such beautiful creature, and I wish I had a telephoto lens when I saw them this week.
ReplyDeleteHello ginger - thanks for visiting and the comments
ReplyDeleteThey are beautiful creatures - All the dragonfly/damselfly pictures were taken with a camera with a modest (4X) zoom lens, but in many cases the zoom used was less than the 4X and sometimes no zoom at all. I'm thinking of upgrading to a little more zoom, but mostly for birds and other animals. Of course it will also help on the dragons and damsels, especially the ones that are really shy.
Hope to see you drop by again soon.
WOW! they really like you! I have had several appear very interested in me - one follows me about 2 feet off my shoulder on my walks. The damselflies and the Halloween Pennants definitely let me get the closest - These are all SO wonderful and the Calico Pennant is stunning!
ReplyDeleteThanks London Yankee - I think sometimes we interpret their sudden departures when we are around as them trying to get away from us. I've found that often it is just what they decide to do at the time. They frequently come very near in their flying around and are not overly concerned unless one makes a lot of sudden moves.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind comments. I particularly like the Calico also. Now if I can just capture one of the female.
Their behavior is so interesting! I read on a site about how the males "patrol" and watching them, that is exactly what it looks like - a soldier marching back and forth in his territory!
ReplyDeleteI have the book "Dragonflies Through Binoculars" arriving today so I can sit out in the field this weekend and read it! hahaha
Capturing the males and females is great fun - I have found that in some cases, I already have taken the pic without realizing it because they do not look alike!