Friday, August 16, 2024

Amanda's Pennant Dragonfly


 When I saw this dragonfly, I thought it looked different. 


I couldn't wait to come home and do a search for the ID.


Of course I also consulted my Florida expert, Wally from  Our Natural Places. He and Gini love dragonflies and share their photos often. They are both native Floridians too so that gives them 'expert' status!


It's been a hot summer here in Florida but we've had wildflowers blooming all summer long.

Don't you love this fat bee buzzing here on a Sumac in full bloom.


American Bumblebee

I noticed the big clusters of blooms in the forest.


But then I was lucky to see some right on the edge of the trail.


We've been having afternoon pop up showers so the mushrooms are popping up everywhere.


And let's don't forget to watch for forest monsters!


They're everywhere!


There are flocks of Warblers flitting along the trails now too.


Northern Parula 

Thanks David G. from Travels with Birds for the bumblebee ID and Northern Parula! I appreciate the help and sweet comments! 

Have you had a good summer for butterflies and bees?


The trail I was on when I hiked the Greenway.

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

  and Mosaic Monday HERE !

41 comments:

Tom said...

...Diane, you captured them beautifully!

gluten Free A_Z Blog said...

Lovely photos and a great close up of that beautiful dragonfly ! I enjoyed looking at your pics. thanks

MadSnapper said...

i love pelicans and that second knotted tree looks like one taking flight. the photos are amazing of everything, the dragon fly is beyond words stunning. I have never seen one like it and it gets WOW!

Jeanie said...

I've never seen a dragon fly like that -- remarkable!

Ann said...

Awesome photos. I've never seen a dragonfly like that before. Those forest monsters are really something. The second one king of looks like a bird eating out of the tree.

Terri D said...

Thanks for teaching us about the beauty you find on your hikes!! I've never seen a dragonfly like that. Beautiful. Keep taking us along with you!!

roentare said...

The lavenders and the dragon flies are so gorgeous

QUILTING IS BLISSFUL, DI said...

Ohhh--what a beautiful catch with photos of that dragonfly--looks like a combo of butterfly and a dragon fly--and very interesting markings and colors!! And what 'funny' monsters in the woods--and always pretty birds--great walk !!
hugs, di

HappyK said...

That is an amazing dragonfly. Your photos are outstanding!

Brenda Leyland @ Its A Beautiful Life said...

You have the most gorgeous photos, Diane. And that dragon fly is exquisite - oh my!!

Cloudia said...

This is so summer beautiful. Thank you very much. Aloha!

Terra said...

That is an especially gorgeous dragonfly and you took a great photo of it.

Irma said...

What a beautiful series of photos.
I have never seen this kind of dragonfly and bee before.
Greetings Irma

Rostrose said...

Oh WOW, dear Diane, the Amanda's Pennant Dragonfly has an incredibly beautiful pattern on its wings! I've never seen a dragonfly like this before (not even in photos) - very special. The "fat bee" also looks very interesting and unusual to me - is it black and green? Or does it just look like that in the photo? Do you know the exact ID?
I'm not afraid of the forest monsters, I'm one myself ;-)
You ask whether we had a good summer for butterflies and bees... Well, there have been better ones. Our most popular plants are still visited by these insects, but it seems to me that there are a few less of the rarer species...
However - let's enjoy the summerdays!
Hugs, all the best and have a nice weekend, Traude
https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2024/08/weltreise-2024-neuseeland-sudinsel.html

eileeninmd said...

What a pretty dragonfly, it even has a pretty name.
Love your tree monsters and the lovely warbler.
Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great weekend.

Anu said...

Hello. A beautiful dragonfly. You have a lot of great observations and photos. Thank you for sharing them.
Take care.

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

I love your dragonfly and bee and your bird as well!! Beautiful photos!!

Breathtaking said...

Hello Diane :)
Superb shots of the beautiful dragonfly. The green and yellow wing pattern is rather special. It is knew to me also. Lovely shots of the Warbler, bee, and fun captures of the monsters.:))
Hugs
Sonjia.

Debbie said...

the forest monsters are awesome!! i don't know much about dragonflies, other than your pictures are amazing!! and such a cute little warbler...

i did not do well with my butterflies this summer. i have been getting eggs and small caterpillars but the heavy rains we have been getting has washed them away. i have about 20 right now and we build a different cage for them so they can stay outside!! they seem to like the heat and grow much faster outside!!

Salty Pumpkin Studio said...

Neat photos!
This year I've seen more butterflies and bees than last year here in Vermont.

Barbara said...

You did an excellent job of photographing the Dragonfly!!! My goodness, close enough to look eye-to-eye! Yes, I know you surely used the zoom lens on your camera, but still, this is an incredibly good shot.

Bill said...

Great captures of the beautiful dragonfly, it's so pretty. Love the bee working hard and the cute bird. Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful weekend.

RedPat said...

That dragonfly is beautiful. I have never seen anything like it. We haven't seen many butterflies or bees this summer at all although the bees have increased lately.

Lea said...

Great photos!
Beautiful Dragonfly!
Forest Monsters are always fun to find!

Penelope Notes said...

Love the live creatures but the forest monsters are pretty cool, too!

magiceye said...

That dragonfly looks amazing!

NatureFootstep said...

never seen that dragonfly. Looks soo different and beautiful. :)

Shiju Sugunan said...

Stunning photos! That dragonfly is incredible.

David M. Gascoigne, said...

You have already identified Amanda’s Pennant (stunning), so you don’t need help with that. The bee is American Bumble Bee (Bombus pensylvanicus) and the “cute little bird” is a Northern Parula (Setophaga americana). What a great walk you had! Even as a dedicated birder the highlight would have been the pennant on this excursion.

carol l mckenna said...

Awesome dragon fly photos and other nature shots ~ Wow!

Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
clm ~ A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

Red Rose Alley said...

Those trees are so strange looking. They DO look like forest monsters! And the dragonfly is very unique. I have a blog friend who often takes photos of the dragonfly, and you can see them smile every time. It's funny. The bumblebee picture is very nice too.

Enjoy the rest of the summer days, Diane. I am already feeling Fall in the air - it was in the 50's this morning. But warm this afternoon.

~Sheri

Pamela M. Steiner said...

Beautiful pictures. I love the dragonfly. I have pictures of that one in my "library" of pictures, and I knew it was a Pennant, but didn't know it was "Amanda's". Good to know. And yes, the bumblebees are so fun to watch going from flower to flower. Lucky you to see the Northern Parula. And yes, I love to look at the "tree monsters" They are fun to discover. Thank you for sharing yours with us. Fun stuff today. Thank you.

Karen said...

The dragonfly is just stunning. Great photos! I saw my first Northern Parula this year when visiting family in Wisconsin. Come to find out, they are being spotted here in Colorado, too. Such a pretty, lively little bird.

Alexandra said...

I like how you found the beauty in so many things! Seeing that Dragonfly must have been a highlight! Your monsters in the forest look very similar to ours!

Veronica Lee said...

The Pennant Dragonfly is stunning—its unique appearance is certainly worth a closer look.
The fat bee on the Sumac is adorable, and it’s great to hear about the summer wildflowers and mushrooms making an appearance.

Carla from The River said...

Amazing photos!!! I do like sumac, it really does attract so many pollinators.
Our bee and butterfly count is low this season. Our moth count is higher. :-)

Carla

Sharon Wagner said...

I will keep my eye out for that yellow dragonfly in Florida this winter.

Aunt Helen said...

Great photos! I have never seen a Dragonfly! They are really colorful and pretty. You have had some wonderful hikes despite the hot weather! Have fun and Hi to Ron.. Love, Aunt Helen

Wally Jones said...

Another outstanding hike - illustrated.

Superb photographs of your encounters. Thanks for mentioning us, but I cannot claim to be an expert at anything - except wife selection. At that, well, I am obviously a genius.

That bright Amanda's is special!

Sorry to be late and absent. But you already know why. Hope the upcoming weekend treats us all we..

EricaSta said...

Wonderful captures of dragonflies. I love them like the several butterflies too. They are such fantastisc insects.
Greetings by Heidrun

Tine de Jong said...

Great that you also sometimes see in trees. Because I also always look if I see something in them. I have also 2 videos on my Yt channel standing with many different faces from trees( I use the same name as on my 2 websites) . And that dragonfly is very special and beautiful. Never seen this one before. But the bird looking in lens was also a feast for my eyes. The summer here in NL was also very beautiful. Many days out already and still have some visits I want to do. Wish you beautiful weekend and wonderful moments for every day. Gr, Tine