My Best Daily Shots

06/15/10 - Halloween Pennant
Up the gravel road from my normal swamp area, soy beans are planted on both sides of the field. They clean up the edges of the road every few years, and then various plants start to grow back like bushy sweet gum trees where song birds nest, Queen Anne's Lace, and soon morning glories. There are always a lot of sticks in this area, and this time of year, there always seem to be a lot of Halloween Pennant dragonflies perching on them. I guess this variety is suited to a slightly less wet area because there's not much water in this location. At any point, this guy hung out on the perch for quite some time, and I took a bunch of pics of him. I have cropped this just a bit to 8X10 size, but otherwise it is SOOC from my S3. I chose this one for the green background tones and detail.

I also took some pics with Dad's 40D and a borrowed Canon 300mm lens. You may remember that I was not satisfied at all with the pics from the camera/Tamron lens. Here is the best from that camera:

http://fotomom.smugmug.com/Nature/June-2010/12400102_x8pU2#901480267_UkdAa
The detail is about the same or not as good IMO, and I just didn't compose the shot at an angle to get the green background. Instead, I got brown. Great for a science journal but not necessarily as a POTD.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy. I really must find some new varieties maybe at a new spot. The only variety that I haven't shown yet this year that I've seen in my usual spot is an Emerald.

In other news, Dad is finally leaving rehab tomorrow. He's excited. I am a bit concerned but hoping he will do well. He went back to the heart doctor who said that his heart had gotten stronger since the test in the ER that had us all so worried. Hopefully Dad will stay strong and be able to enjoy some of his normal activities like trips to the library and meeting a friend for chess or a movie.

Also, Madi's Dad, Danny, was handed a builders magazine yesterday and was flipping threw it and saw a picture I took at the Museum of Life and Science about a year and a half ago where Madi and Johnny are running down their wetlands boardwalk. I had given the museum permission to use the picture and had sent them the original at one point. I knew they had used it on tent cards at the museum, but I didn't know about the magazine layout. How cool is that! Madi holding up the magazine for me:

http://fotomom.smugmug.com/Nature/June-2010/12400102_x8pU2#901690135_Vp9ic
I need to try to find a couple of other copies of that magazine!

HAGD,
Maryann

IMG9006Cropped8X10