There is a small patch of Canna Lilies at the edge of the big field at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. It’s a wet spot and the lilies and cattails seem pretty happy there.
This dragonfly found an unfurled blossom a nice place to perch on a hot day. True to form he lifted off just as I was ready to shoot then returned to the exact same spot,
The orange and yellow combination of the flowers is quite attractive, shouting out “summer!”
This Black Swallowtail Butterfly flitted along on the outside of the plants lining the walkway as I went along the edge of the pond, obscuring my view. Finally he landed in a fern and seemed to peak through the fronds.
He then moved to a more open area and spent some time on this statice type plant.
The plant was down an embankment putting me even with the Butterfly for part of his feeding.
The area just beyond these plants has recently been flooded as part of a plan to make an additional pond near the heron rookery. Next year the vegetation will likely be very different here.
A year ago I captured similar images of butterfly and plant at a different pond about 25 miles (40 Kilometers) from this spot and thought the plant to be Brazilian Vervain (Verbena brasiliensis). Black Swallowtail Butterfly is the post if you’d like to compare.
Butterflies do not know that Mimosa Trees are invasive and this Swallowtail happily partook of the pink fluffballs these trees are known for.
The flowers have a sweet smell that can be overpowering but this late afternoon a breeze was blowing it away from me.
The butterfly bounced along at the top of the tree then disappeared into another flower grouping in the shade.
This rather large dragonfly was looking for a spot to land and finally settled on this pretty lichen covered branch. In the first image he was hanging on to a bit of Spanish Moss.
He then got a better grip on the branch and stayed put. I did not see any insects for him to prey on. It was almost 100 F (37 C) and I wondered if he was looking for some shade. I don’t know what is going on with his tail–it looks like some plant debris was hitching a ride.
05/29/2019
The combination of the sun light and the distance from the perches to the background shows off this dragonfly’s striped wings quite nicely.
I don’t remember seeing this type of dragonfly before; but recognize the “return to the same spot” behavior I’ve seen in others.
He left and re-lit on this grain stalk multiple times while I watched.
5/19/2019 Mepkin Abbey
The Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly is a stunning insect. I’ve taken poor photographs of them each of the last three years at Beidler Forest and finally this year captured one at eye level and another in a spot of sun.
Access to this area is only from a boardwalk so there is not much you can do to change your angle.
The second one stayed put on this leaf, opening and closing his wings for a few seconds, creating a nice shadow on the leaf.
First decent photograph, that is. It seems like all of the dragonflies I’ve encountered this spring have been frantic, with none of that rhythmic pause, fly off and return to the same spot routine I got used to last year.
I liked the first image as much for the seed heads as the insect. The second image is the same dragonfly, on another nice piece of foliage.
I’m still occasionally seeing dragonflies, capturing these on Sunday as he investigated a manicured shrub hedge.
Look closely through his wing below and you’ll spot another thorn pointing away from his body.
An un-obscured head shot proved elusive and the direction of his position may have been due to the stiff breeze we had that day. These were taken in an area that is often overrun with mosquitoes so I was happy to have the air movement.
Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, SC 11/04/2018
The day had warmed up from 50 F (10 C) to the high 70s (21 C) and the bees came out to inspect the wild flowers around the old rice ponds.
These asters were a big draw and this patch had multiple bees working the blossoms.
Here’s a wider view of the aster patch well lit by the mid-day sun.
I don’t know either the insect or this flower that was growing wild at the edge of a pond.
One of the wasp’s legs was sticking out at an unnatural looking angle, perhaps injured, but it wasn’t slowing him down.
He methodically worked the flower blossoms around the stem, unlike some insects that dart around, seemingly unsatisfied with what is in front of them.
