Wednesday, August 20, 2014

"Here There Be Dragons"...& Turtle Doves...

Yes, "Here there be Dragons"...

 Dragonflies, that is...

 Hundreds of them...maybe thousands!

 Okay, hundreds.

 Oodles, for sure! 

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They have been flying head-high over the garden,

Zooming this way and that,

A regular air-show, diving and climbing...

Catching mosquitoes, hopefully!

You know that Faeries ride on their backs!

(Here, on one of my big peach-y Cactus Flower Zinnias.)

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Up close and personal...

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 Nature's beautiful mosaic... isn't that blue a heavenly hue??

The Butterfly Bush blossoms are showing through the Dragonfly's wings...

I didn't notice at the time, but when looking closely at the photos afterward,

it looked exactly like a mosaic to me...all the little shapes like colorful tiles ~

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They are Green Darners...

(Here on an Envy Zinnia!)


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Whoever named them ~ long ago ~

Thought they looked like a darning needle!

I can't imagine what someone would come up with today, if they had to name them...

"Green Stylus", maybe? Not "Darner", that's for sure!

I prefer just "Dragonfly"!


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They were interesting, and lots of fun to photograph...

I read that they are (somewhat) migratory,

and may be on their way to southern Texas or Mexico... by way of Sikeston.

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And last but not least, the Doves...

I think I'm going to start saying "Turtle Doves"...

We had a really strong storm blow in yesterday afternoon,

right after the big Dragonfly show...

Strong winds and hail...I was so worried about the Doves' nest,

but all I could do was watch from the kitchen window, expecting

 to see the nest and babies go blowing off the top of the trellis any minute...

Then, nearly as suddenly as it had blown up, the wind and rain stopped and the

sun came out, shining brightly...even though thunder was still rumbling...

(Of course there was a rainbow!)

I climbed up the ladder and there were both Turtle Dove parents,

side-by-side, huddled over the babies...very wet...

rain-water was beaded up all over their heads and backs,

but all were safe.

The saving grace was the Moonflower Vine...

the aggravating, disappointing, wet-Kleenex-smelling Moonflower vine...

it had served well, providing shelter for the little Doves.

"Exquisitely fragranced" or not!

Have a great Thursday, everyone!


Love,

Photobucket

24 comments:

  1. Summer and all the beauty that surround us during this time is such a joy to behold.

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  2. Lovely images of the dragonflies. My son gets the heebie-jeebies when they start coming out there. So glad the little doves are okay. It's amazing what they have to go through to keep their babies safe. Best wishes, Tammy

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  3. Awww... what great parents! Poor things, so wet! What incredible photos - the macro shots are amazing! I love dragonflies too - have never seen so many around here too, thank goodness they chomp down on our mosquitoes (which makes me love them even more!)

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  4. I'm not sure what happened to my comment so here goes again.....fabulous pictures as always:)

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  5. What great pictures of the dragonflies.

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  6. Hello Anne,
    Love the pictures of the dragonflies! You did a wonderful job of capturing their colors, and shapes!!
    You know , I've not seen a dragonfly around here this year?? Wonder what's up with that!

    Happy to know the turtle doves weathered the storm safely. Poor dears.

    Have a great day!

    K.

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  7. All's well that ends well. Thank you for this delightful story and photo pictorial. I am always looking for the fae folk. Love your little Turtle Doves, so happy they were able to weather the storm. Keeps smiling and creating

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  8. Anne your pictures of the dragon flies are wonderful. I love to watch them dive bomb. They seem to enjoy field corn and really make a show about this time of the year. You are right - a myriad of mosaic colors. As for the doves - how wonderful they stayed safe. The moonflower may not be fragrant but it added protection to the parents and wee ones...maybe you can forgive it for not smelling pretty! (LOL) - hugs

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  9. Beautiful picture. How did you get them?

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  10. Your pictures are so beautiful! Just stunning. Thanks for the beauty.

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  11. I really enjoyed your pictures. We, too, have many dragonflies right now...all colors. I saw a gorgeous rust colored one that I've never seen before just yesterday. We have a small pond and the dragonflies buzz over it all day long. I don't know if you have a pond or water feature, but if you do, try to see if you can spy the female dragonfly laying her eggs. She dips her tail ever so fast into the water, barely touching the surface and then scurries off to lay more eggs. All the while, her mate can be seen flying overhead like a sentry to make sure she is safe. I had read about this phenomenon, but this summer is the first time I've actually witnessed it. There are tens of dragonflies this year and I love watching them dart about in such a frenzy. Aren't we lucky to witness nature in all its glory?!

    Diane in North Carolina

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  12. Beautiful photos. Stunning in fact!

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  13. Your pictures are amazing! I love the colors of dragonflies, we had a few in our garden and near our pond this year! Thank you for sharing!

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  14. I love this post Anne ;o) Thank you for making my day ;o)

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  15. SPECTACULAR...the dragonflies, the fairy houses, the morning doves, the tuberoses, and your photography.

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  16. I'm always in awe of your beautiful pictures! They are breath-taking! Dragonflys are so interesting and colorful!

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  17. It's not easy to get photos of these elusive dragonflies! These are the prettiest ones I've ever seen. Wonderful photos! Hugs!

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  18. Oh wow, I just love dragonflies. You got some stunning photos of them on your flowers, so pretty and beautiful. Glad the doves and family were safe in the wind.

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  19. Your pictures are stunning! I'm glad that the Dove Family were doing fine after the storm.

    Hugs,
    Kathy M.

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  20. The dragon fly photo's are awesome...wonderful creative and artful masterpieces of God.

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  21. Exquisite, incredible photos!! How I love dragonflies...and doves! :)
    xoxoxo

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