Dragonfly

I've been continuing with my walks in the woods behind our office. I walk during lunch and usually take my camera (Panasonic DMC-FZ7S). I've mostly been taking pictures of the birds I find back there but, once in a while, something else gets my attention. I noticed a dragonfly one day. It would speed off looking for something and then come back to the same spot. It did this a number of times which allowed me to get ready for this shot. I've taken pictures of other dragonflies but they always seemed to be resting on something that hid their wings. This one, with bold, amber colored wings, really stood out.

Dragonflies have always fascinated me. They are terrific fliers (they are fast, over 20 miles per hour, yet they can hover). They seem to actually have a sense of curiosity. When I used to try to catch them, and would miss with the first swipe, they would often come back to have a look - or were they gloating? Their colors can be amazing. I've seen bright red, metallic green and mixes of blue and black that are as striking as some butterflies.

Can you imagine seeing a dragonfly with a wing span of two feet or more coming at you? There are fossils of dragonflies this size from the Permian period (between 250 and 300 million years ago).

I'll be trying to post some more pictures I've taken during my lunch-time walks in future articles. I'll also be talking more about the camera I use. I'm very impressed with its features but I'm still learning to use it correctly.