Dragonfly
Taking a cue from my buddy Earl I took the shot while on vacation at Disney World. Actually, I took lots of bug pictures while on vacation in Florida, because it seems they grow them bigger down there. Much bigger.
Aren’t the markings on this dragonfly absolutely awesome? She was just sitting there in the stairwell as I was heading out for a swim. I brought my camera with me everywhere since I’m the consummate tourist while on vacation, and I was so glad that I did! It’s not often I get this close to such a big bug! Here in Delaware, most dragonflies are about 2-3 inches long, and pretty skinny. This dragonfly was easily bigger than that, and thick around as a pencil! Amazing!
I usually try to give in-depth information about the insects that I put on the site, but I think this time around I’m just going to let the picture speak for itself. Click on it and see it full-sized to see all the really neat detail in its patterning and wings!
Slowly getting the site back onto an even keel. It's nice to get back into the old posting rhythm.
Kit Watson said,
August 14, 2008 @ 9:21 am
Ooh, dayglo bug!
Aaron Wadley said,
August 14, 2008 @ 11:16 am
Meh, I’ve seen bigger.
Seriously, the staggered pattern on the tail is so cool, and all those panels of green on the body; it’s just begging to be recreated in LEGO!
Nice picture. dragonflys never sit still for me.
Scott said,
August 14, 2008 @ 11:18 am
“dragonflys never sit still for me.”
If they did they might bite you so be thankful.
Great pic!
Aaron Wadley said,
August 14, 2008 @ 11:19 am
Oh, and a belated welcome to FL. Yeah, we’ve got all kinds of big bugs wandering around down here. And there’s apparently a mouse infestation down in the Lake Buena Vista area
tceisele said,
August 14, 2008 @ 11:21 am
Yeah, there’s a reason I’ve never posted a picture of a dragonfly - the shutter lag on my camera is too long. I get a lot of pictures of places where there *used* to be a dragonfly, though. And, in order to get the nice, vibrant colors, they have to be alive. I did find a perfectly preserved dead one once, but it turned kind of a muddy green in death, and it wasn’t very photogenic at that point. Plus the cat chewed the wings off before I could get the camera, so that was that.
ziyda said,
August 14, 2008 @ 6:52 pm
This one made me nostalgic, because I used to see large dragonflies (here in NY) when I was a kid. Disney’s the place to go, huh!
I’m trying to learn how to id, and I found that this may be Eastern Pondhawks - Erythemis simplicicollis, but whatever this goes by, the pattern and color is what I’m thrilled with!
Very good photo, too!
wright said,
August 14, 2008 @ 8:48 pm
Wow. Now that is beauty.
In grade school, I would sometimes be teased by other kids for watching insects at recess. I could never get them to understand how beautiful and amazing “bugs” were. Ah well.
David Brady said,
August 14, 2008 @ 10:57 pm
Awesome shot, Jer!
There is a trick to stalking dragonflies. You have to get inside their heads and then it’s easy.
JFargo said,
August 15, 2008 @ 9:52 am
So glad to hear that everyone liked the picture! I was amazed at how close it allowed me to get, and how long it stood still. Like tceisele, I have a lot of pictures of where a dragonfly used to be. This one (and a few other ones while in Florida) is a very rare shot for me.