In my new schedule, Thursday is photo blog day. However, I have more essays to post from last week’s photography course, so we need to keep moving. Here is part 2 of the colour essay started on Friday.
I wanted to include the above photo in my motion essay, because the strong diagonal lines create an illusion of movement. Everything in the image is actually static. The wildflower is invasive birdfoot trefoil, which moves in its own way.
I spotted this dragonfly at Haliburton School of Art on Monday morning and spent the next two days stalking it, so I was delighted to get so close on Tuesday afternoon.
I am unfamiliar with the species. I had never seen it before. My go-to field guide for ephemeroptera is The Dragonflies and Damselflies of Algonquin Provincial Park, a thorough resource for Central Ontario. In fact, I have never observed a species in Guelph that it failed to recognize. But this one has me and my manual stumped. Is it a harbinger of climate change? If anyone can identify it, I would be grateful. To add to my mystification, the same dragonfly appeared at my cottage on Sunday afternoon, where I’ve been documenting its relatives for as long as I can remember.
The next two floral shots were taken first thing Wednesday morning at Head Lake in Haliburton. We were supposed to create a photo essay providing our own interpretations of the place. Watch for that another day. For now, these images belong with colour.
Asclepias incarnata, swamp milkweed, is one of my favourite wildflowers because it is less widespread and more lovely than the common A. syriaca, but more subtle than the popular butterfly weed, A. tuberosa. Also, it’s fragrance is remarkable.
Clover and vetch here, two common legumes looking particularly lovely against water.
The next photo ended up on the cutting room floor, did not make it into my class photo essay. The wildflower is one of the cinquefoils. But I was thrilled with managing to capture the iridescence on this lovely little pollinator’s wings.
Ok, that’s all for colour.
No, this is me, I’m joking. But that’s all for this particular essay.
From a little internet searching it looks like a Hyacinth Glider. What do you think? It would be quite outside of it’s range though.
It looks similar but the wing markings are larger and less diffuse than in the images I found on Google. Also, the shape of the thorax is different, and the bright yellow extends all the way up it on my bug. I think I will try submitting it to bugguide.net.
Somebody on BugGuide identified it as Libellula luctuosa. My cottage, where I saw it on Sunday, is at the northern edge of its range, so I submitted a record to the Ontario Odonata Atlas.
Otherwise known as the Widow Skimmer. It’s a female.
Your photos are amazing!!
Gotta love the talented folk in this world….
Thanks for visiting and commenting. 🙂
Love ’em all. Funny, I was just this afternoon observing the faint scent of Asclepias in my own yard, never having noticed it before.
Oh and Van, I grabbed a copy of the latest issue of Orion. I’m hooked and glad you mentioned as a photo contest prize! Still sorting photos on my end, haven’t forgotten.
The contest winner hasn’t claimed the prize yet, so don’t buy a subscription yet! There were only a few entrants, and we’ll be drawing another name from the hat if I don’t hear back soon.
I love your photos! I find them very calming to look at.
Glad to be able to share them with you, Barb. I’ve been learning how to use Photoshop Lightroom this week, and I’m excited to see how it’s going to punch up my photos.
Just beautiful.
Thank you!