Amazing Dragonfly Photos

I love dragonflies, and can never view too many photos of them.  So tonight, after finding the Ixia photo on the TrekNature site, I kept browsing (staying up too late again!) through the wonderful photos, and then was really struck by this photo, entitled "Wings of Gold", by Su & Brenda (I'm not sure which one took the photo), a husband & wife photography team from Malaysia:

I little while before that, I had paused at another dragonfly photo.  I wish I could find it again.  But here are a few other great photos I found on that site while looking for it - click the links below the "thumbnails" to see the real thing.

http://www.treknature.com/gallery/photo228027.htm

http://www.treknature.com/gallery/photo228735.htm

http://www.treknature.com/gallery/photo227281.htm

I have not had the same success with my couple of attempts at dragonfly photos.  This one was discovered while out walking with the family, but although the dragonfly is stunning, my photo is very flat and unexciting:

One time when I was trying to photograph some frogs, I had a dragonfly "check me out" - he kept hovering nearby.  I tried, and got a few shots of him in the air, which was exciting, but the depth of focus is very unflattering, and didn't produce a good photo:

This summer, I think I will make some more attempts at dragonfly photos.

Fallen into Etsy

I keep telling myself I'll go to bed earlier one night. Tonight was looking hopeful, until my evening read of my favourite blogs led me into Etsy, where my love of art and homemade crafts pulled me deeper and deeper... If it weren't for prohibitive shipping charges on the small items, the USD to CAD exchange, and that some items don't ship into Canada, I may have placed an order by now. But did fall into a time warp - somehow time just disappeared!

Look at all the wonderful items and sellers I have discovered (photos used without explicit permission, so if any seller would like me to remove theirs - let me know).

I love dragonflies, so this vinyl decal at Wilson Graphics for $1.50 USD or 25 for $25.00 caught my attention. They also sell beautiful butterfly decals and many other designs.

Designs by Kim offers 2 beaded dragonflies for $5.00 USD:

I took a look for any local artists, and found TamlinSky in Vancouver, who does some wonderful nature and funky monster paintings on silk. I love the vivid colours. The dragonfly card for $5.50 USD caught my attention.

...although what I loved even more was this 22 inch "Arbutus over Howe Sound" painting on silk, asking $200 USD:

Right up there with my love of dragonflies is my fascination with lizards, so this trinket bowl for $11.00 USD by My Mother's Garden caught my eye, except I would want a much bigger plate:

Look at these cute crocheted gecko bookmarks by Friendlyhands, $5.00 USD and free shipping:

So much fun! If I had more time, I would be truly inspired to create some neat stuff myself.

It's 10 minutes before midnight, so if I hurry, I can still go to bed "early".

Cheam Lake, Agassiz

On the weekend, our family found ourselves taking an easy stroll around Cheam Lake in Agassiz BC. The last time we were there, we were enchanted by the many damselflies. This time they were noticeably absent. So I was excited when my son called to me to come look, and he had spotted this gorgeous red dragonfly on a post:

This gave us a chuckle, imagining the birds telling each other their addresses.

A neighbouring house (with a wonderful yard) must have a wonderful view of the lake - and the view back toward the house is pretty neat, too.

Bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) berries are poisonous, but they sure look delicious:

Dragonfly Fairy

Oh my, this one is gorgeous, and I love dragonflies. I think her pose/posture is not quite there yet, but I love it already... What do you think? How would you improve this image (click for a larger view):