Though this does not compete (in my mind) with the blue dragonfly I captured on the iris plant stalk, it’s still a great close-up. They like to hang out on the corner of our small pier over the stream and (I presume) hunt the bugs that fly under and around the bridge. This is totally fine by me. Again, taken with my phone so not as detailed as it could have been.
Yesterday’s photo reminded me I have a number of good photos of dragonflies I have not yet shared (though I meant to – just got distracted by frogs, you see. Perfectly understandable.). I captured this beauty while I was spending the day outside smoking pork and doing my Christmas shopping. He was polite enough to pose for a long while. This was important because again I was using my phone as camera.
I am 99% certain my mother took this photo last summer. I know it wasn’t this summer because we didn’t put in water hyacinth this year. They are a lovely flower – but they bloom for about a day and that is it. Plus, they are annuals where I live. But I admit, the dragonflies did enjoy posing on top of them! Of course, this one isn’t in bloom. Below is a photo of one fully bloomed – which you have to have good timing to get since they only last a day. Apologies for the blur; I believe this was with my phone and the lens was probably not so clean. Or, you can assume I used a nice filter for this effect.
I see the occasional splash as one of the trio of frogs who still live in the pond dive under, but with the cooler weather it is rare to spot them at all, and I have had no chance to actually get a photo. So I went back to my archives to admire Brave Frog again. Such a charmer!
In the mix of “hardy bog plants” was a short stocky thing. It grew slowly most of the summer and was referred to as “the thick-stalk-plant” when we needed a point of reference for a frog sighting because we didn’t know which plant was which until they started blooming.
The thick-stalk-plant suddenly started shooting up in height and is now over 3 feet tall. The upper half has been covered in blooms, and as it grows taller more blooms appear on top. Even though the days (and nights, especially) are getting cooler it is blooming continuously. Butterflies and hummingbirds are supposed to be attracted, but since it started blooming late that hasn’t happened. We are hoping for earlier blooms next year and some excellent hummingbird action. (okay, right now we’re just hoping the plants all survive the winter to be honest).
This photo is blurred, but I really like it because it seems like there is fairy dust involved. So I’m sharing it, too.
![[insert "theme music from Jaws"]](https://kellyosullivan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/2012-october-4.jpg "2012-October-4")
[insert “theme music from Jaws“]
Eyeballs is lurking in the lilypads. The days are cooler, and the nights are dipping close to freezing now. Soon the frogs will burrow into the mud and I may have a few photos stored (certainly of Brave Frog) for some additional posts, but then you have to wait for spring until we find out if they stayed in the pond and survived the winter. *fingers crossed*
This year I got a variety of “hardy bog plants” to add to the pond. Once we added the water lilies the barrier was broken. Despite being completely novice in this, I was empowered by the internet. What pond plants were perennial and could handle our growing zone?
Google knew the answer. Google is amazing that way.
So I got a variety pack of “hardy bog plants” and “hardy bog iris” – the iris have grown but not flowered. So, they are the first round losers. However, the real test comes next spring when we find out if “hardy” was true. The gauntlet is down, because I’m not rescuing any plants.
This is the “obedient plant” of the hardy bog plants variety pack. If any plant survives, it had damn well be this one. I Order It to come back. (for the record, this was taken with my phone – that’s how awesome this plant is.)
Flowers are more cooperative than frogs, in that they do not dive under the water when I set up the camera. This lily has such lovely variation in color, so I had to share it.
Come closer, scrumptious morsel!
I admit it – I do not think I can keep up daily postings much longer at all, so I’ve renamed this to “Periodic Frog” because (1) it’s going to be accurate and (2) I’m a chemist who enjoys the play on words.
Nonetheless, I was delighted to spot Eyeballs in the lilypads – he was well hidden. I didn’t see him actually go for the little insect (perhaps it’s too small to bother with – what do I know? Do frogs do tapas?) but I like to think he was watching it. Those little bugs are annoying, so I’d be more than happy to have them be a frog’s appetizer.
I am one with the lily pads.
I was certain I had missed my opportunity to take a photo of Cave Frog on this evening – which would have been a shame as the light was interesting on the water. While I was moving in, he hopped off the lily pad where he had been sitting – but thankfully they are so thick there he just ended up on another, with one over his back. He must have felt reasonably camouflaged, because he was then very still while I did the photo shoot.
@KellyOSullivan 