I was reviewing my recent efforts at photographing my favorite insects, dragonflies, and was growing discouraged. Recently it just seemed I couldn’t catch a break. Maybe my missing “luck” was due to a want of recent experience. Last year wasn’t a particularly good one for dragons though this year looks to be very good. Whatever the reason, I was deleting way more images than what I considered worth keeping. Until I came across this one. It was shot late last month in Lorain County on the edge of a pond abuzz with dragonflies. It all came together: a gorgeous dragon, perched atop arches of green leaves, against a nearly black background. I’m feeling much better now.
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Down at the Lake Erie shore the sun shown brilliantly over calm waters, the sky was clear and blue, and gulls gathered on the breakwall. Moving a bit too close for their comfort, I scared up half of the gathered flock. The birds took flight to the west but soon circled around to the east, then south, and into my shot of the morning sun and diamond waves. At first I was a little annoyed at the presence of so many little black dots. Quickly, however, I realized the beauty of the flock against the sky.
With clear skies and light winds from the south, Lake Erie this morning was a vision of placidity. Calm waters reflected morning sun and blue sky. People of early morning contemplated the scene, played on the sandy beach, or stopped to enjoy the moment. Here are two views from this day along the shore of Lake Erie on a lovely serene morning.
In the waning minutes of sunset, a thunderstorm was moving into the area. As the leading edge of the cloud shield floated overhead, rumbles of thunder could be heard. Looking up, I saw the sky was alive with cloud-to-cloud lightning, much of it crawling across the cloud surfaces and readily visible, illuminating the coves and knolls of the storm. Fortunately I had my camera and tripod at hand and quickly set up in the parking lot behind my car. Quickly making rough camera settings I shot frame after frame, composing as best I could from a less-than-ideal vantage point. I would have shot a lot more images — there was lightning all over the sky — but my session was cut short by rain, threatening sky-facing lenses, forcing me into the car. It was quite the show, that spring lightning!
I made an all-to-brief visit to David Fortier River Park, Olmsted Falls, this morning and discovered the scene had transformed with the season. Thick layers of water plants coated the rocks beneath flowing water with purple slime lining the rock stream bed. I was alone in the park at that early hour but for a fly fisherman casting his line into the rushing river; a quiet respite in my morning’s travel.
Fungi generally grow upon decaying material that was once alive. Today, on a very pleasant hike on a trail in the Hubbard Valley Park, Medina Park District, I happened upon a most beautiful shelf fungus. The fan-shaped growth was protruding from the trunk of a still-standing dead tree along the path. This beautiful flower of decay with the feathery pattern of markings? Dryad’s saddle (Polyporus squamosus).












