Monarchs & Dragonflies -- August 31st, 2012

I got word of Monarch butterflies clustering along the lakeshore so I went to the Goldenrod field by Halls Rd. to see if I would be lucky enough to see some. I only saw 5 or 6.

A change from the usual type of shot... most shots show more wing.

It loses a lot in a two-dimensional image, that is only a small portion of the field, but I love the look of a field like this, with a mix of blooming plants and those past their prime.

The lack of Monarchs was more than made up for with the number of Dragonflies that were there. There were 100s of them.

It was the same weekend that the airshow was on at the CNE in Toronto so it was rather timely that nature treated me to one of her airshows. Over the years I’ve managed to get shots of Dragonflies on grasses, etc. but I’ve wanted to try to get shots of them in the air. They fly fast, and they dart and weave, changing direction like UFOs reportedly do.

Conditions were right today, with a favourable wind, so with a bit of patience and some luck, I was able to get a few good shots of them flying. Most of my shots were duds, some with clear sky and no dragonfly at all, and many blurry ones, but a few did turn out. These are the best of them.

I was surprised to see the U-shaped structure at mid-body. I assume it attaches the wings to the body.

 

Impressive flying technique-- Each of its four wings is pointing in a different direction, with what looks like about 90 degree separation. (One wing is only a faint blur behind its head and the opposite one is the blur behind the upwards pointing wing.)

You never know what nature has in store for you when you venture out. I sure wasn't expecting to get shots of Dragonflies in flight today. But I'm thrilled that I did.

- fini -