Location Taken: Savage, Maryland
Time Taken: August 2010
A dragonfly came to visit my Mom’s pond one day. He did not stop for milk and cookies, alas. All he wanted was to sit on a cattail leaf and eat a mosquito or two.
This particular dragonfly is a male Blue Dasher, if I’m getting my insect identification correct. It is a fairly common species in this part of the world, but still, they do not make it to my Mom’s pond often. There’s a river nearby, but we’re a bit of a distance from it.
And my Mom loves dragonflies, so she was utterly delighted to see this picture, and to know that yes, they do come to visit.
It was a bit challenging to take this picture. I wanted a close-up, to see detail, but if I got too close, I risked it flying away. I had to use a careful combination of zoom and manual focus to reach the very small focal length required. It would not have taken much to be off. Especially since I wasn’t using a tripod, so I had to keep my hands steady too. Which makes me even happier to have gotten a picture good enough to easily see the veining on the wings and leaves.
In case you’re wondering why I didn’t put a location link for this photo, it’s because it was taken at my house. I’ve decided to tell you which town I live in, as it’s a rather interesting place with somewhat unique features. However, as reclusive as I am, I don’t want visitors. Thus, if it’s taken at my house, you’re not getting the coordinates. And with this photo, at least, you don’t get clues about where I live from the picture. I’ll be doing the same for photos taken at other people’s houses. Historic or locationally-interesting things in the area, like Savage Mill, will be getting coordinates, but that’s because I actually want people to visit them. Like Savage Mill, you should visit that. Especially the really nice Family Game Store. That’s where my parents and I head to play games on a regular basis. Awesome place.
