So Beautiful It Makes Me Cry: Dragonfly Morning

"It is while we, ourselves, are dreaming in the sun by the margin of some pond, that these swift children of the air seem but a natural part of the dream. Yet if we waken to note them more closely, we find many things very real to interest us."
Handbook of Nature Study, page 404

I don't know if you have ever had this experience but it has happened to me a few times that I can remember: Something that you see in our natural world is so beautiful that it makes you cry. It could be a sunset, an autumn tree in full color, or in this most recent case, a dragonfly.

I know. You all think that I have lots my marbles over that one but I am going to post some photos that will only give you a hint of how beautiful this dragonfly is in real life.

Here's the story. I have been putting together an Outdoor Hour Challenge about dragonflies over the last few weeks. I have had my camera at the ready many times because I have several kinds of dragonflies in my backyard and I hoped to get a photo for the blog entry. Will those dragonflies sit still for just one photo? Not usually.

This morning I was up and out on the back deck early, around 6 AM. I was just out of the shower and I usually go out and come my hair as I survey the morning's happenings outside. It is my routine. Well, as I was standing there looking out over the yard, I tried to focus on something that was on a beach towel on the deck railing. I knew it was an insect but without my glasses on it looked like a blur. I went into the house and grabbed my glasses and camera.

I couldn't really get a good photo at first because it was still pretty dark out. Then he flew away and I was so sad to see him go. But, he landed on my lemon tree and he has been there ever since. This gave me lots of time to take a good photo of him. I think that this was a gift to me this morning and now I will share my gift with you.

Black saddlebag dragonfly

See the coloration on the wings that look like "saddlebags"?

You have to click the photo to make it larger so you can see the colors of the wing in this photo. It was like lace with all its fine detail. I actually was able to measure his wing span, 4 inches!

His head is so big and I know he was looking at me too. Click this one for a better view of him up close....you may never get this close to a dragonfly so here is your chance. :)

Look at the pattern and colors in the wing...iridescent in one light and spun from gold in another. It looks just like stained glass.

I know my original intention was to share a photo with you when I posted the challenge but this was so special that it gets its own post. The beauty in creation is such a testament to our Creator. Only He could think to spin this dragonfly's wings out of gold, to make his coloration so distinct, and to give his face a dash of brilliant blue. I am amazed at the beauty and it truly did make me cry.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom
PS There is a big section in the Handbook of Nature Study on dragonflies if you would like to read more this week. I will be giving an assignment in Outdoor Hour Challenge #28 to read about dragonflies and damselflies.

Beautiful Butterflies and Some Nature Journal Ideas

Showy Milkweed in Stoneman's Meadow, Yosemite Valley.

We did see some Monarchs fluttering and flying around the milkweed but there was never a chance to photograph one, maybe next time. :)

We were on the lookout for butterflies on our recent camping trip to Yosemite. Many were too fast or would not sit still long enough for a photo but here are a few that I can share. All these were butterflies that I saw as we went on various hikes in a variety of terrain and habitat. My daughter decided that she would rather take photos of flowers than insects because flowers stay in one place. :)

We know this is some sort of Fritillary but which exact one, we are not so confident. If I had to make a best guess, I think it is a Pacific Fritillary or a Western Meadow Fritillary.


Okay, there are two butterflies in this photo. It was taken in a marshy meadow area near Lukens Lake. There is one distinctly blue and one distinctly brown butterfly but I have no idea what particular ones they are even after examining the field guide for a long time. I'm not very good at identifying butterflies....yet.


Here is another blue butterfly sitting on some bird droppings. My best guess on this one is a Lupine Blue.


Now this one I think is a Woodland Skipper. I know it is a skipper for sure and it looks just like the one in my field guide.


You can see why I was able to take some good photos of these beauties, they were otherwise occupied with more important activities at that particular moment. I still haven't been able to identify this particular butterfly. Any ideas???

Here is one of my nature journal pages that I used to record one of my experiences with butterflies. I was testing out Tina's new notebooking pages that she is creating for an upcoming Outdoor Hour Challenge E-book that we are putting together to share with everyone. This page shows my attempt to record a bit about our butterfly study this past week.

Someone was asking recently about how I keep a running list in my nature journal. This is so easy to do and it doesn't need to be fancy. Tina has created an easy to use version of a running list that will also be in the upcoming E-book.

As you can see, I really just list the butterfly name if I know it and the date and place that I observed it. If I am not sure, I make a note and then use my photographs to identify it later when I have time to use the field guide and the internet.

So those are some of the butterflies that I was able to capture with my camera. We saw many, many Tiger swallowtails and a particular yellow butterfly that we have yet to identify. I look at this project as a life-long endeavor and if I don't catch the butterfly this time, maybe I will the next time.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Edit to add: Heather asked about my nature journal and how I plan on using the notebooking pages if I am using a spiral bound sketch diary as my nature journal. I made a decision to change to a bigger size nature journal, still spiral bound since I find that easiest to work in. I only have three pages left in my smaller spiral bound nature journal so I will be starting over in a 9" by 12" spiral bound artist's sketchbook that I purchased from Miller Pads and Paper. I will be attaching the pages into the sketchbook with double-backed tape; running lists will be in the back and the other sheets will go in order starting in the front. This will give me the flexibility to use the notebooking pages or to just freehand my entries in as I feel the need. I love to have options. This sketchbooks use heavy enough paper that I feel comfortable using watercolors in them as well as pencils and markers. Hope that explains it!

Our Egg Hatched! It's a Lacewing!

In a previous post I shared a photo of a egg sac that I found on a leaf in my yard. I put it in my clear observation box and this morning there was a green lacewing in the box and the egg sac was empty.

Try as I might, I could not get a clear shot of the insect but he was a beauty.

"The lacewing fly or goldeneyes, as she is called, is the mother of the aphis lion. She lays her eggs on the top of stiff, silken stalks. The young aphis lions when hatched, clamber down upon the leaf and feed upon plant lice, sucking their blood through their tubular jaws."
Handbook of Nature Study, page 357

I never expected to learn so much about this type of insect in the Handbook of Nature Study. Anna Comstock writes with such an easy to understand style and now I can share the information with my kids when we see these helpful insects in the garden.

I found the egg sac on the leaf of my chrysanthemum and now it makes sense. This plant is always covered in little aphid like bugs and I now know that is the favorite food of the green lacewing.

You can find more about the lacewing on pages 356-358 of the Handbook of Nature Study.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Winter Photo Walk: Insects, Trees, and Sky

(click to make photos larger)

Today was such a sunny day in our area and I needed a little "photo therapy". I went out in the garden and took about 50 photos. This little winged insect was sitting so still on the lavender blossom. There were actually a few blossoms with such beautiful colors in the brilliant sunshine.

I don't know what kind of insect this is but I will keep on trying to identify who he is. I think it is okay to not actually identify each and every insect we find but keep it as a work in progress.

How about this sky?

From page 624 in the Handbook of Nature Study regarding tree study, winter work:
"1. Make a sketch of the tree in your notebook, showing its shape as it stands bare." or "3. Take a twig of a tree in February and look carefully at the buds. What is their color? Are they shiny, rough, sticky, or downy?" or "4. What birds do you find visiting your tree during winter."

Check out all the ideas in your copy of the book.

Look at this silhouette!

One last photo.
Could that be my bulbs sprouting already?

Have a great afternoon,
Barb-Harmony Art Mom