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This is How Courtin' is Done in The South Dragonflies have survived here for millions of years and they are the stuff of romance in their enthralling lore and captivating superstitions to many. Many perceive and adopt them as their "spirit animal" for this very reason. Their mating ritual however is anything but romantic, definitely not enjoyable for the female, and I wondered how the species has survived for so long.  Read on.  It was mid September in the south so I was on a hike and a mission to see what the last blast of summer would offer me.  At first I could only see a hint of what I thought may be a dragonfly. Dragonflies frequently mate mid air and the scientific term for their ritual is, "tandem linkage," for obvious reasons. What are the chances they would be in the precise time and destined place in their mating ritual that I could not only see them,but have enough time to complete this shot.  I think painting this would be very enjoyable, both in acr...

The ice embellished seed pods on this Crepe Myrtle made a provocative and most unusual background for this January 22nd photo and surprised a year-round resident Bluebird in South Carolina Article and Photos without Photoshop or AI by Penelope Penn Winter Storm Jasper was not "for the birds."  It was a serious storm that caused power outages, closed schools, and dropped record amounts of snow, sleet and freezing rain, as well as caused a record-breaking number of flight cancellations, as it barreled across the US this past week.  And it didn't stop when it plowed into the southeastern coast.   The ice it brought caused flight delays and hazardous road conditions in coastal South Carolina, a dilemma for residents, and resident and migrating birds as well.  The city's website and news stations issued frequent updates on the status of the storm, since these storms are rare and infrequent.  A statement on the city's website reported that, "Myrtle Beach and othe...

  Birds of a feather do flock together, however this particular bird was oblivious to her obvious uniqueness.  I discovered this beautiful goose recently and learned she’s not only rare but probably new to the northern Myrtle Beach area as to date, unreported.  And while the rest of her species appeared to be accepting her, her coloration was completely different.  This Leucistic Canada is a Prime Example Why We Should Never Let Anything - Especially Our Appearance, Deter Us From Pursuing Our Dreams and What We Feel Destined to Be and Do in Life I felt fortunate that I was able to get her to pause briefly, and she appeared to be coyly posing for her 5 seconds of blog fame. In this case it was important to get the shots perfect to be able to present her true and unique coloration. I also included a few of her flock very close by so you can see the similarities and the unique and rare differences. After some research I identified her as a Leucistic Canada Goose, a sp...