Critter of the Day: 18 September

 

 

 

 

 Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis)

One of my hobbies obsessions is taking nature pictures with my iPhone.  One of these days, when the teenagers- aka the stomachs on legs- move out and the grocery bill decreases to a reasonable level, The Mom of No might invest in an actual camera designed for the purpose of nature photography.  For now, however, it is the phone.

The iPhone takes  reasonably good shots of things that don't move, like fungi- but trying to get a picture of something like a dragonfly with an iPhone is mostly like trying to brush a toddler's teeth while he is running down the street. Sometimes, however, if you are lucky and patient (and a little bit stealthy) good things will come your way. 

Until this spring, I used to walk by dragonflies on the trail and not really think much about them, and then a fellow naturalist started taking gorgeous pictures that showed just how beautiful dragonflies are, so I was inspired to make some attempts.  I am terrible at dragonfly ID; it seems that distinguishing between two different species can often hinge on some tiny detail. This one, though, is easy because she is so distinctive.  I can even tell you this is a female Eastern Pondhawk.  The male is blue.