Golden Wings

This is telephoto shot of a Blue-eyed Darner Dragonfly near the banks of a lake. I love catching them in flight, and these are especially fast. It... more

by Belinda Greb

Title

Golden Wings

Artist

Belinda Greb

Medium

Photograph - Photographs, Photography, Photographs, Photograph

Description

This is telephoto shot of a Blue-eyed Darner Dragonfly near the banks of a lake. I love catching them in flight, and these are especially fast. It takes a lot of concentration until you hit a zone, especially using a telephoto.

Dragonflies can fly at speeds from 22-34 mph. Their cruising speed is 10mph. Adults generally fly June to October. They spend most of their life in nymph form underneath the surface of the water. In this form, they use extendable jaws to feed on mosquito larvae and other insects, and even some vertebrates, such as small tadpoles or fish. This stage can last up to five years. Then they climb up to a reed, where they metamorphose into an adult. This stage is estimated to last five or six months.

The Blue-eyed Darner dragonfly has a length of 2.5-2.75 inches and eats other smaller insects on the fly. They are generally found near lakes, marshes and ponds at lower elevation and are quite common. They can swim, by jet propulsion. They squirt the water out of their abdomen.

�Belinda Greb
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Nature, animals, beauty has always been a source of nourishment throughout my life. Modern life can drain us with its demands and imbalances. Yet when I talk a walk through the woods, see a tree that's been around for 200 or more years and has weathered storms and survived, I am in awe. I am entranced by animals' various behaviors in foraging for their food, eluding predators, dealing with rain and snow, and nurturing their young along the way. I am never bored by nature. The emergence of buds, flower and color from a stark winter's landscape still takes my breath away. I find it magical how light can change shift the mood and features of a landscape. I can look down at the ground from time to time, and see a creature I've never seen before (just lately a white-lined sphinx moth).

Photography allows me to capture, interpret, and share that world of wonder I see about me. I currently reside in Oregon, an environment rich in nature's graces. I have lived in California and New York, too, and everywhere there is a world of nature around us, if we care to take the time and watch for it.

Uploaded

September 23rd, 2012