Category Archives: Dragonflies

Dragon(flies) in the park

dragonfly, park, Kenilworth, festival, rain, Washington, DC,

There is a beautiful aquatic garden in Washington, DC along the Anacostia River. The main attractions are the ponds featuring waterlilies and lotus flowers. There is also a board walk over and into a wetlands area. It is a great place to see water birds, beavers, dragon flies, song birds and other small creatures.

I like to pick a spot where I see some dragon-fly activity and wait. I watch to see what they are doing. Dragon flies often have a favorite perch they use to observe what is going on. Many dragon flies are territorial and use this perch to watch out for intruders. Once I spot a dragon-fly I want to photograph, I’ll prefocus, lock it down and fire away. I often get several chances even if they fly away because of their habit of returning to the same spot.

I find photographing dragon flies a nice way to spend a few hours in nature. At Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, there are dozens of different types of dragon flies to try to capture.

After the rain

flower, water drops, park, Kenilworth, rain,

After the rain

Umbrella, wide-brim hat, yoga mat, water-resistant camera case, and a rainy day. Now and then the sky would lighten and make interesting highlights on the wet flowers. I crawled along the garden paths for five hours getting a few pictures I really like. It was plenty fun just spying on the frogs, praying mantis, watching the lotus leaves spill the rain out, and talking to the park ranger. Rainy day fun!

lotus, leaf, rain, water, spill,

Lotus leaf draining rain water

dragonfly, lily, Kenilworth Gardens,

Dragonfly resting