Some things are considered to be so simple... when we are not willing to contemplate.
I understand that we take a lot for granted. Incredible and mind-blowing things happen so frequently that many get bored with them and dismiss them as unworthy of pondering. Many would rather get distracted with the violence and lust on television that consider deeper things. While they are certainly free to do so, I find it fortunate that I am not among those.
I have recently both photographed a Dragonfly and swam in the enormous Lake Michigan with some Dragonfly nymphs. The life cycle and stages of the Dragonfly are so incredible, yet some would prefer to just squish the icky bug.
Obviously, @papa-pepper has a huge appreciation for creation and all of the amazing plants and animals that were are blessed to have share this precious planet with us. Therefore, I have a certain starting point from which I view the creatures of earth, and it seems that many others here are able to understand my point of view, although some of them would never interact with these creatures in the way that I choose too. Even now, I would rather be out looking for Water Moccasins...
THE EYE OF THE DRAGONFLY
Anyway, while photographing this Dragonfly, I could not help but notice how its eyes would not come into focus for me. The compound eye of the Dragonfly is made up of tens of thousands of little ommatidia, which are units for vision that contain light sensitive cells and a lens. Each tiny little ommatidia sends its own information to the brain of the Dragonfly where it is processed with the data from thousands of other ommatidia and combined to form a picture of the world that the Dragonfly is seeing.
Dragonflies have incredible eyesight (isn't all eyesight incredible?) and they can sure see me coming a mile away. I've often spent time over the years with a Dragonfly in my hand just staring into its strange eyes. You should try it sometime! It'll make you wonder.
THE WINGS OF THE DRAGONFLY
It is also hard to photograph a Dragonfly without taking notice of the wonderful wings, full of tiny little veins. When it comes to insects that are skilled at aerial acrobatics, Dragonflies are near the top of the list. Have you ever just watched one hover or chase a mosquito?
Even more amazing to consider is how the wings emerge from inside the nymph and then spread and dry, soon being able to allow the Dragonfly to fly! Though the creature is different, the transformation of the Dragonfly nymph into an adult is very similar to this Cicada footage that I filmed, which @mericanhomestead sped up and put to music.
After being hidden beneath the exoskeleton of the nymph, the wings emerge and spread to dry in the sun. Soon, they are stiff and ready for flight. Just like the framing of a house provides strength and support, the veins in the wings of the Dragonfly give it strength. If you look closely at them, I think that you will be amazed. What detailed precision each one is crafted with!
Anyway, it seems that what has started out as a post where I was going to share a few photos of a fantastic creature has now turned into a post where I shared a few thoughts as well. This is part of why I like being up close and personal with the world around me, including wild creatures like insects; it'll make you think. There is just so much to consider and marvel at, when we take the time. Slow down folks, and enjoy it!
As always, I'm @papa-pepper and here's the proof:
proof-of-a-dragonfly-worth-contemplating
Until next time…
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As we get flooded with more and more questionable content on Steemit, I appreciate your original content even more! Thanks for being a pillar of the Steemit community.
Thanks for that! Good point too.
It is important that we set good examples for others and encourage them to work hard rather than trying to attempt to take "easy" or "fast" paths that lead to questionable content.
I know I have been tempted to take the easy route, but I enjoy taking photos of the dark sky and continue to concentrate on what I love. Even if the payouts are low I cant complain about getting rewarded to do something I love. Your posts remind me that hard work and persistence pays off even though the easy way may look attractive in the short term.
Wow I totally agree and say it at least once a week in one of my posts. @papa-pepper is Steemit Hero!
I am afraid of dragonflies and cicadas.
But the cicadas in the video are amazing.
It is really amazing and beautiful.
I wish I could get comfortable with bugs like this... but they're so small and move so fast, they just freak me out!
The only one that I'm ok with, for some reason moths don't seem to bug me. I caught a moth in my hand once without killing it, just grabbed it and then released it. Maybe in that moment I felt a bit of your love for these creatures :-)
I was actually able to identify this dead Dragonfly on the way home... maybe your posts are helping me get a bit less squeamish about it.
I think this might be a cicada - like the one emerging from it's skin in the video above. You find them dead a lot this time of the year as they've laid their eggs and finished their life cycle. They're the ones that make the loud siren buzzing songs in the trees when it's hot outside.
Thanks for being helpful! You are correct!
Ah, dang! I was looking at the veiny wings which got me confused. It did seem a bit too big - thanks for the clarification.
@lturner is correct, that one is a Cicada, but I am glad to see you checking it out! They are really cool creatures!
Captain Jack Sparrow the Dragonfly looks magical and you did a great job with your shots. We take these beautiful creatures for granted and should show more respect to them. Thanks for sharing.
LOL - Jack Sparrow. Back when I lived in New Orleans I had long dreadlocks and two braided goatees... then those movies started coming out!
Haahahh I guess my dear Wild Man has something in common with the wild Captain... however you look better in your original self
I can imagine you holding your breathe while taking that shot. Haha. Nice post as always man! :)
Some shots will even take your breath away, if you let them.
HelicopterFly ^_^ Video is amazing...didn't know that they "born" this way...sort of like butterflies :) I'm not fan of insects but when I see up close photos like that I find them cute (not spiders though they still freaking me out) :)
I'm glad that you can still appreciate the beauty!
Wow amazing photo @papa-pepper. . I like it
Thank you very much @nazarwills.
very nice photo @papa-pepper. thank you for sharing your great post :-)
You're welcome... and thank you for checking it out!
You are welcome papa :-)
animals love
I love them too!
Great images
beautiful dragonfuck And adorable little.
You may have misspelled that...
I think your correct, I wouldn't expect predictive text to give you that answer, cheers mike
Nice shere. .upvoted and follow send !
ill be happy if you would check my blog @ronald89
Nice Picture @papa-pepper
I like Your Post ..
Beautiful animals!
They certainly are! I agree.
Ain't life grand. You got that right brother.
It sure is my friend! It sure is!
There are many photographers who are capturing different creatures on this planet but from the eye you see them is totally different and unique. Thanks for the share and keep sharing!
am glad a found a nature lover like me, was thinking am the only one in awe of natural creatures, thanks for sharing. learnt something new.
DRAGONFLY is good, I like dragonfli @papa-pepper
Love the pics, hopefully nobody really squishes them, dragonflies are amazing! Then again, I'm the type of weirdo that puts critters back outside & tries to avoid intentionally killing things, so I'm not your average bear.
The other day I was babysitting a friend's kid & a dragonfly was doing a loop around us. I was flirting with it, telling it how gorgeous it was when it just disappeared from it's path & it took me a good bit to realize it had landed on my head! So wish I had gotten a picture of that!
Thanks for a charming share, the Cicada time-lapse is incredible.
Very cool! I was pleased with the time-lapse too, since it was condensed from over 70 minutes worth of footage!
Great post. So beautiful. I'm impressed that you have charmed the dragonfly so, as to allow you to do the photoshoot. They are absolutely magical creatures. The hover-skill that they have, like hummingbirds as well completely fascinates me, and makes them seem like ancient or otherworldly creatures. Thanks for this! <3
This post is interested, i like it
nice chaptured
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Wow ... I realize I need to say something other than WOW .... But WOW !
Not a huge fan of bugs of any sort, but, you cannot disregard the iridescent color of these guys and the way they photograph with those millions of eyes- looking right at you.
The video was amazing- how can you watch that and not be stunned by nature.
Thank you, again. I will never look at them the same again. ;)
Hey, @papa-pepper! Another great post. I love Dragonflies with their expressive eyes and gossamer wings. They are amazing at catching mosquitos! There is so much beauty surrounding us in our everyday life, there is no need to to go searching. Just take the time to slow down and smell the roses. Too much time today is wasted on frivolous entertainment: TV, Facebook, Youtube, Whatsapp, Twitter and a whole host more. Just my two cents worth...
Amazing! :)
Great photos
I am amazed you were able to get a shot with the dragonfly that is very hard to do I know I have tried and failed to take a selfie with them in it. I don't know why maybe because they are so hard to shoot, but they are some of my favorite subjects to shoot. But we also have 3 species in my area that are rare and only live in this area in about a 1.2 square mile radius.
Wow! That does sound rare!
there was a big thing over them because there was a group of people who wanted to create a lake called Mounds Lake, which was going to destroy parts of Mound's State Park (which is named such after the Earthworks) but environmentalist such as myself went nuts because not only would it destroy the habitat potentially killing them off, It would also flood the Rangeline Nature Preserve, this lake was also gonna sit on two former landfill sites that were packed down and leveled paved with pipes sticking out to vent the gasses the deadly potential of the combination got the other cities that would have been effected to vote with a BIG HELL NO. You wouldn't believe the people who want the lake still. Where we are building if it gets revived we would have lake front property and sell right away and move at least 10 miles outside the city limits.
I'm so glad you appreciate that. They are small, but they are very important
Yes they are!
:D
Slowing down and paying attention are qualities in short supply these day. Shots like these emphasize why it's good advice to heed. You never know what you might notice once you try it...
Love dragonflies something about them means I am always excited to see one. Amazing footage :)
I'm impressed you got a selfie with the dragonfly! I've tried many times to get good photos of these guys but they won't stay still enough to get a good focus, let alone be picked up!
One of the biggest reasons to stop and look at things like these is to marvel and the craftsmanship that went into making them. We sure do take "just bugs" for granted.
We just got to see a cicada emerge for the first time this year - it was a good year for them and our pine trees had cicadas clinging to the bark emerging for about two weeks. We also discovered a cicada warren under an old piece of cement that I was breaking up for a wall. I think we counted 12 cicada dens underneath it with a nymph curled up at the end of each tunnel. Pretty amazing stuff!
FULLY AGREED!
We saw our first cicada emerge last year, and got to see a few more this year. For a while, they were everywhere.
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I love posts like these. I agree, it's the simple beauty in life that calm and soothe the soul. When everything else is falling apart, stopping to appreciate the little things is what gets us through. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for understanding the post! I agree!
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Thank sounds like a great contest!
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i love your photos, always perfect , upvoted
It is tough to get good shots, and I have to "throw away" a lot of them, but thankfully there are some good ones to share.
i always check your posts, these makes me fresh :)
Very nicely written. I like your thinking :)
Not all insects are ugly, most strange, but life is life and for some reason god created them and have an end on this planet, it is incurable to be able to observe these photos that you have taken to this dragonfly, how well you can appreciate this insect, it is wonderful the way you photographed it and also your content is unique and original, really congratulations for your great post and many future successes :) @papa-pepper
This is absolutely how I feel about nature - thank you for sharing this with us so beautifully. I can loose myself for hours just pottering about watching wildlife doing the simplest things - which in themselves are magical. I've taken loads of photos of our local damselflies over the summer and have been trying to find the time to go through them to share on steemit. They are endlessly fascinating and yes - incredible eyes! Loved the cicada video!
Life IS a MIRACLE!
We are BLESSED!
THAT PHOTO IS SOOO AWESOME!
For some reason, probably the pain meds I've taken today, when I look at the third picture it makes me think of Mr. Magoo, LOL. :D You get such wonderful closeup pictures of each animal and I don't know how you do it...if it were me the animals would hear me coming and disappear before I could even get to my camera. :D
I really enjoyed this post and kudos to @mericanhomestead on the video, very cool and nice choice of music. :D
Thanks for sharing and as always, have an awesome day! :D
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Love your work here. I always look forward to what you will post next. It's amazing to me some of the stuff you come up with and post. Never a dull moment! :)
Well, i have over a year's worth of experience now thanks to Steemit.
Thank you so much for your upvotes in my book contests. That really meant a lot. One contest I only got like 8 cents on and it cost me over $23.00 to ship the book to Canada. Fair is fair though. I did say free shipping and I faithfully used the random drawing tool no matter where they lived. I believe being honest and true is the best policy even if it does cost me more. Thanks again!
Details of dragonfly on your pictures are amazing! Thank you for sharing it! :D Upvoted!
Looking good there,,,,