Thursday 19 November 2015

'Striped' Emperor Dragonfly Nymph

Whilst out and about last weekend at a site near Reculver looking for dragonfly and damselfly nymphs, I really wanted to find a 'stripey' Emperor Dragonfly nymph. I'm not too sure why they seem to be this pattern when they are quite small and perhaps someone can enlighten me on this but when you catch them in the net, they do tend to stand out easily. Maybe under the water in the debris and in among certain water plants and weed, they blend in well? After a number of unsuccessful dips for them, I eventually found a nice stripey Emperor Dragonfly nymph of about 12mm and returned home to take some photos in my indoor tank. After a bit of preparation I was soon sitting in comfort taking a few photos in the conservatory using manual mode, f8 - f11, ISO 400, speed set to 250 and in camera flash used. Being so small, it took a bit of time to settle as it rushed around the tank but with a bit of patience, I was able to get a number of images using some red leaves as a background. With some cold weather forecast for the weekend, I can probably see myself making another visit to catch a few more species to photograph at home in a nice warm environment with food and drink at hand. Yes that sounds very tempting!








'Stripey' Emperor Dragonfly Nymph (12mm)

7 comments:

  1. That last shot wins the prize, Marc! They are quite small; I had expected them to be larger.

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    1. Thanks Wilma. In 'real' life they are pretty small. Hopefully the photos being these tiny creatures to life.

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  2. Looks like a Five Star Hotel Marc,I'm amazed at how beautiful they look,which is mostly down to your good self.
    I also love the colour content,smashing job.
    John.

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    1. Many thanks John. Always a challenge to show them off well.

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  3. Love that eye marc, you can almost see the nymph thinking !

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    1. It was thinking, will that annoying bloke stop pointing the camera at me. They do look quite aggressive for a reason!!

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  4. Another set of wonderful images, and useful information, Marc. Thank you!

    I admire your dedication. Even if you have got a nice warm conservatory to come home to, I don't envy you messing about in icy pond water when you're out!

    Keep up the good work. Best wishes - - - Richard

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