Daring Dragonfly

One warm and sunny day, as I was heading into the house from the back yard pond, this beautiful young Female Blue Dasher Dragonfly lit on my finger.

She flatly refused to fly away, so I brought her inside with me, retrieved my camera, inserted the memory card and battery (tricky with one hand), and escorted her back outside for a photo opportunity.

She acted as if she thoroughly enjoyed it.

When I took her into the sunlight, she went into the obelisk posture (similar to a human handstand) and posed for me.

After I got my shot, I finally managed to coax her off of my finger and onto one of the broken tree limbs that I had erected as dragonfly perches, in the back yard.

I am frequently amazed by the cool critters that God puts in my path, and the beautiful photographs that result from our meeting, that I can now share with others.

Female Blue Dasher Dragonfly

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Cute Camo

I covertly proned out in the muck, immediately following a severe late-night thunderstorm, to get a good close-up photograph of this striking Southern Leopard Frog.

Lying chest-down in the mud, mosquitoes fighting for my blood, I began to second-guess my decision to cozy up to this Frog, however handsome.

Fortunately for me, this colorfully camouflaged critter patiently permitted photography, without so much as a flinch.

I got my shots, thanked the Frog for the considerate cooperation, stumbled to my feet, inside two rain-soaked shoes, and overtly trudged back in the direction of the shower... 
Squish Squash, Squish Squash, Squish Squash.

Southern Leopard Frog

The Southern Leopard Frog is a long leaper.
When threatened, they can cover great distances in a very short time.
After fleeing the area, they will normally stop near cover and brilliantly blend in with their environment.
They remain so still that you will nearly step on them and not notice.
It is necessary for them to quickly master hiding techniques, because they have many predators, and frog legs are at the top of the menu.

You can View my Nature Photography here:

http://al-powell.pixels.com/