Going back to a warm October day when a number of dragonflies were flying over the pond and occasionally stopping for rest.
A few even landed on a tree at a height I could capture.
This pair entertained me as one or both repositioned just as I thought I had the shot. I thought it was interesting that they would land so close together.
Ravenswood Pond, Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, Charleston, SC
October 12, 2021
I spotted this Katydid in a tall stand of swamp sunflowers, a bit above my eye level.
The bloom shows signs of having been snacked on by something. If it was this fellow he had gone into post-lunch stupor as he never moved in the ten minutes or so I was there.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
October 12, 2021
Small bits of color attracted me on an October walk around Magnolia Plantation and Gardens with my 180mm Macro lens.
Viewing a Magnolia seed pod at eye level reveals texture, color, and some intrigue as the red seeds were beginning to appear.
Early Camellias had bloomed, this one with a robust center.
Yet another single swamp sunflower bloom that I couldn’t resist.
Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, Charleston, SC
October 12, 2021
I first spotted the Carolina Anole finishing lunch.
He bypassed the fly and came out for some sun.
The Chrysanthemum blooms made a comfy perch.
A recently hatched Carolina Anole spent some time watching the world from a Mandevilla plant on my patio a few days ago.
You might wonder how he got in there, I sure did. He didn’t weigh much but these petals are quite delicate.
I suspect he climbed out the stem then jumped/fell into the center. A wider view shows how tiny the Anole was. The blossom was about four inches (10 cm) across.
Credit to Ted for spotting this little fellow.
These images are from a September walk when a little breeze interfered with this being the best lens for the day.
An immature or female Eastern Pondhawk dragonfly perched at the base of a giant Live Oak tree.
I have no idea what either of these flowers are but they had attractive textures, the first with a few petals.
And the second one gone-by, but still interesting.
September 14, 2021
Middleton Place, Charleston, SC
Who could resist three dragonflies lined up in a row?
So these are just a duo as the third fellow took off for a minute.
One of the others gathered some snacks…
Showed off some flight skills…
Then returned to his perch.
These were all taken at 1/1000 sec with the Tamron 180mm prime macro lens.
Bear Island Wildlife Management Area, SC
September 5, 2021
Who could resist three dragonflies lined up in a row?
Some more experimenting with distance and f-stops. A bunch of reeds kept me from the best placement to have all three dragonflies equidistant from me, and we were at the edge of a pond so I had to stay on this side.
And them some distraction with choosing different perches.
And with the dragonfly on the right adjusting his position.
There was also a little breeze, good for keeping bugs off me, not so good for my experiment as the reeds swayed.
These were all taken at 1/1000 sec with the Tamron 180mm prime macro lens.
Bear Island Wildlife Management Area, SC
September 5, 2021
Who could resist three dragonflies lined up in a row?
These dragonflies, which I believe are all Four-spotted Pennants, were quite cooperative as I took this opportunity to experiment with different f-stops to see what ranges might be in focus.
These were all taken at 1/1000 sec with the Tamron 180mm prime macro lens.
I was about three feet (100cm) from the closest one, on the right in first image. Their perches were about 12 inches (30cm) apart left to right and a bit closer than that in their distance from each other front to back.
Bear Island Wildlife Management Area, SC
September 5, 2021
A few more images from last month of patio visitors.
There was competition for these bamboo stakes for weeks.
The few dragonflies around my backyard now don’t seem to be interested.
