RANDOM PHOTO AND AN OLD FAVORITE

I took this photo ages ago and came across it recently. It is one I saw sitting on the stem of a dried-up lotus pod.

It shows a male Blue Dasher dragonfly (Pachydiplax longipennis). It is easily recognized by its powdery blue abdomen, striped thorax and striking green-blue eyes. A pale face, banded markings on the thorax and clear wings with dark veins. Frequently found near ponds, marshes and slow-moving waters across North America, so I read.

Here are other interesting facts that I found on Google.

The only "Dasher": it is a monotypic species, meaning it is the sole member of its entire genus (Pachydiplax).

The "Obelisk" Handstand: to avoid overheating on hot days, it raises its abdomen straight up towards the sun. This obelisk posture minimizes the surface area exposed to solar radiation.

Illusory "Long Wings": its species name "longipennis" translates to "long wings". However, its wings are quite average; the name exists because females have an exceptionally short abdomen, making their wings look much longer by comparison.

Illusion of Blue: the powdery, chalky-blue color on the male's abdomen is not actually caused by blue pigment. Instead, it is an optical illusion created by a waxy coating called pruinescence, which scatters light.

Pollution Tolerant: unlike many delicate insects, the blue dasher is highly adaptable and thrives in polluted environments, storm drains and urban runoff parks that other species flee.

Fierce Mosquito Hunters: they are incredible assets for pest control. A single blue dasher can capture and eat hundreds of mosquitoes and gnats every day.

Rapid-Fire Egg Layer: when breeding, a female can dramatically lay between 300 and 700 eggs in a span of just 30 seconds by tapping her abdomen on the water's surface. This website here has photos that show the difference between a male and female and also has a lot more information.

Extreme Aerial Territory Battles: males are aggressively territorial. They guard their hunting perches by executing frantic, high-speed loops and vertical rocket chases against rival males.

Gender Color Shifting: juveniles and females primarily sport yellow and brown stripes. However, as females age, they can gradually turn a dusty blue, mimicking the males.

Aquatic Underworld Beginnings: before taking flight, they spend the vast majority of their lives (up to 11 months) underwater as aquatic nymphs, breathing through internal gills and aggressively hunting tadpoles and small fish.

If you are curious about these fascinating insects, there is a wealth of information out there online.

Thanks for looking and 

I hope your week is going great.

I AM INSPIRED BY DRAGONFLIES...

"I'm inspired by how dragonflies are both tough and fragile; fierce and mild." - Cindy Crosby

I have just learned of Cindy Crosby simply by looking for quotes about dragonflies for this post. She has a wonderful blog with superb photos. You can find it at this link. Her biography reads, "Cindy Crosby is the author, compiler or contributor to more than 20 books. Her most recent is 'Chasing Dragonflies: A Natural, Cultural and Personal History (Northwestern University Press 2020)'. She teaches prairie ecology, nature writing and natural history classes, and is a prairie steward who has volunteered countless hours in prairie restoration. See Cindy's upcoming online speaking events and classes at www.cindycrosby.com."

While still on the subject, there is another photographer whose blog I go to. He also takes the most amazing photographs of dragonflies and other things in nature. His name is Mike Powell and his blog can be found here. Also, his 'about me' page is here.

My dragonfly was found at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Not the sharpest as it kept flitting about but am always happy for the memory. We hadn't been to the refuge in quite a while and I was hoping to take the path down to the Potomac to see more birdlife on the river, but I am listening to my body more these days. It told me to pace myself. A short walk but nevertheless a very enjoyable one, and more importantly a bit of exercise. My doctor recently told me that 'motion is lotion'. I have adopted her phrase. For some reason it always makes me smile.

I still have photos from Walney Visitor Center and will share more probably next week.

Thanks for looking and I hope you have a great day.

BACK TO WALNEY POND

 I am concentrating only on a few things today. Two are the dragonfly photos Gregg took. We are thinking the red-beading effect on its wings in the first photo, was the reflection from the sun bouncing off its wings? Maybe?

And this in another spot. It may have been the same one as we were waiting for it to stop plant-hopping long enough to take its photo. I identified it as the male Blue Dasher Dragonfly. Experts, let me know if you disagree please.

Next is the female Redwing blackbird who was in a tangle of branches.

In the next tree, we found the male Redwing blackbird.

The photo above shows the clearest picture of his striking red and yellow epaulette. You can read all about them here. The bird photos were also taken by Gregg.

Lastly, the Bumblebee on the Common buttonbush, which on the day we were there, held my fascination for some time. I couldn’t get it as sharp as I would like it to be, but I was happy. There are several species of bumblebees that are native to Virginia. If you missed the first part of our visit, you can find it at this link. My post today is Part 2. I found a splendid website with the title, "For Wild Bees, these Native Plants are the Superstars."

I am now on the hunt for local honey. There is a beekeeper who sells it locally. I just need to do a search as it’s not in the local supermarkets and it is outstanding honey, my all-time favorite. I can't remember what kind it is now (when I see the bottle I will know). I ran out ages ago and bought a jar of regular. It is very nice but I try to give my business to the smaller family run local businesses when I can. I might have gotten it originally from a weekend farmer's market.

Thanks for looking and I hope your day is a great one.

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - ODDS AND BODS - SUNDAY 11/2/24

I am not quite awake yet but I am getting there.  

How are you doing?

and now a message from Squirrel.

Me? I will always look for a field of sunflowers. I hope you will join me 🌻 I know we have all had our dark days.

I am having my one and only coffee of the day.

First word of the day.  Well, you will have to ask Gregg on this one!

Grumpy mug where are you? You need to make this mug smile. It looks like it has a bit of an attitude, ya think?

All I can say is, I would never drink these, but I would take lots of photos. 

Here's my dream cottage for today.

I would gladly live here if...

that sweet dog comes too.

Time for sleeps.

I just found this. How about a cute little cat vase. If you have some pennies put away or waiting for a gift from Santa or want to give someone a gift from Santa, you can buy this here. Or maybe you have a talented someone who could make something similar. I will ask my dear other half. Oh, I just did and he is still guffawing, because we both kind of look at a screw driver and say, what's that for? More than a slight exaggeration but I think you get my drift.

But now for some wise words.

Time for some fun with food.

Moo?

I found this very interesting. I have never tried any of them but will look into it next summer if needed, hopefully not needed. These natural remedies would be much better than the chemical ones. 

and you'll have to let me know if this works, but ask your doctor first! Again, hopefully not needed for any of us.

This would be real pretty to create in the garden.  It would take forever to collect all those stones, but maybe a smaller version?

Or this, definitely a smaller version for me but a wonderful work of gardening art. I think my garden menagerie would enjoy this.

Yowza!

Last but not least…as I am coming to the end of my post.

...and mine too.

Thanks for stopping by everyone, and may your day be full of sunshine.

(With thanks to Pinterest for the inspiration.)

MASON NECK STATE PARK - PART 2

Heads up for those who are a bit squeamish about such things, I photographed a snake and also the skeletal remains of a fish that I have never seen before but wanted to make a record of.  I have left those photos way down, so that you can enjoy the birds and then move on from my blog if you prefer.  They are below the kayak photos.From the visitor center we turned left and followed the path until we came across a few birds.  I am not sure of this one's ID but I looked up what birds had been seen recently at Mason Neck, and they mentioned the Eastern Wood-Pewee, which you can see here.  What do you think?  It is a lifer for me as I have never seen it before.  I am always thrilled when I can add to my list.

I saw him on a red pylon.

From the pylon he flew to the fence...

only staying for a few seconds...

before he flew away.

There was also a bird house nearby and a flurry of activity.  I enjoyed spending time with a pair of Tree Swallows...

and there were babies in the nest.  You can make out a head, at least the white part of its throat, in the circular entrance.

The parents were very diligent, always leaving one standing guard.

Looks like someone is getting told off in this one.

We watched as they flew back and forth, thoroughly enjoying them.

According to the park's website, the following birds were seen recently at Mason Neck.

Mourning Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Great Blue Heron, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Pileated Woodpecker, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Acadian Flycatcher

At the bottom of these steps were two information boards.

You can enlarge them if you want to see more clearly.

This is part of what is on the other side.  I neglected to take a photo of the whole sign, but I was more interested in the map in the bottom corner...

Here it is again closer-up.

There was a pond on the right.  It had a lot of green algae growing.  There is a good article if you click on this link with interesting information. 

There were a lot of dragonflies but I had a hard time taking photos.

These were the best I could do.  My hands were not very steady that day.

There were a couple of butterflies.

A black swallowtail and a zebra swallowtail.  

We had been walking along a path right next to the Potomac River.

I liked seeing the old stumps not too far out, still showing signs of life in those new leaves, perhaps ivy growing up the side.

There were kayaks for hire. 

This is where I show you photos of the snake Gregg saw.

And here is the fish skeleton I found.  I had been looking for smaller live fish in the shallows.  I wondered if this was the remains of some type of gar fish.

I took photos of new leaves.

Above are Muscadine and below is Summer Grape.

We found the path that would take us back to our car.

Halfway I saw one last dragonfly resting on an old log...

and that was it for nature shots from the park.  On the way home, I couldn't resist taking one last photo of the clouds. Below the wavy line looks like mountains but they were darker clouds causing this optical illusion.   I have never quite seen that shape before.

That's the end of our Mason Neck State Park trip, at least until we go there again, which I hope isn't too long from now.

Thanks for looking and enjoy your day.