Odonata Love

                   
                      

Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens)

I can't remember exactly when or where I photographed my first dragonfly this summer, but it has turned into another near-obsession I really didn't need! But it is a lot of fun.

This one was at my beloved quarry, the one I visit whenever possible on my way to or fro Camp Hardtner, Alexandria and other parts south that require traveling on Highway 165 south from Monroe. And as you can see, I caught it in flight. That is no easy trick, but this particular one accommodated me somewhat by hovering a lot.

I needed help identifying it and called upon our local naturalist, Kelby Ouchley. If you don't know about Kelby, you're missing a lot. He does a great program on KEDM-FM 90.3 called "Bayou Diversity" and he has a great website: http://bayou-diversity.com/.

I have also posted this photo and about a dozen others to an international database called Odonata Central. Check it out here: http://www.odonatacentral.org/.

Louisiana Wildflowers

                       
                                    

Lanceleaf Indian Blanket (Gaillardia aestivalis var. flavovirens)

Indian Blanket (Gaillardia) is widespread in Louisiana, but most varieties have varying amounts of red in the center and petals. Some petals are mostly red with a yellow tip, and some are mostly yellow with just a bit of red at the center. The particular variety in this photograph is the only one with solid yellow petals and a yellow center. All Gaillardia have the distinctive lobed petals you see here.

Lanceleaf Indian Blanket prefers sandier soil than other varieties, so it is not surprising that I find it plentiful at my beloved quarry. You'll find many photos from the quarry on this blog, but I probably have not properly labeled them all. Guess I really need to come up with a name for my beloved quarry and use it consistently! Suggestions anyone?

 

Things Unseen

                       
                         

Home of the Wounded Healer

This is my beloved quarry. I began photographing this place in February 2010 when it was a fresh, raw gash on the face of the earth. It draws me back again and again. It reminds me that all of creation bears seeds of reconciliation with and within The Creator.

    

Photographer's Journal: Dragonflies

                       
                            

Calico Pennant (Celithemis elisa), female

So... I was photographing at the quarry along Hwy 165 just north of Camp Hardtner, and this beautiful dragonfly obliged by posing for me.

Actually, NOT. She flitted around, stopping just long enough for me to get the telephoto lens in focus, then took off again before I could release the shutter.

But I finally got a couple of shots in focus, this being the pose that best shows her marks and colors. Yes, it is a she. With a little help from a small but enthusiastic band of dragonfly photographers on Google+, I identified the species, then from Wikipedia learned that this is a female.

A week later I was able to photograph a male of this species between two of the Three Sisters Lakes at Camp Hardtner. His markings are red and I'll post him soon.

And thus I discovered the great fun and challenge of photographing dragonflies! More to come.

     

Sacred Spaces

                                          
                                                         
Emerald Water

                                                      
                                                  

Quarry

                                                           
                                                                       
Barren Earth

            

barren earth

barren earth

does it dream? in technicolor

of vibrant flower..........

the clouds that never pause to pour

the wind that ever moves on

forever the dust

forever the lust

the unfulfilled desires

the uncalled for fate

barren earth

in its sleep, in its countless

colourless waking hours

does it weave with 

scores of scents

a deathcloth to cover 

its forever life..........

--by flyingdreams