Sunsets at Heckscher State Park

When I'm at Heckscher State Park, I often take photos of the sky. Sometimes the sky there is so lovely, it looks as though an artist has painted it. I have many photos taken at Heckscher of clouds against a bright blue sky or of a brilliant sunset over the Great South Bay.  

 

Battle-worn Dragonfly

I came across this dragonfly while I was walking along the Yellow Trail at Connetquot River State Park on Saturday. Real photographers I know would have passed on shooting this fellow. If you take a look at his lower left wing you'll see why. He's not perfect. However, I rather like the idea that he is a survivor.  If only he could talk, he probably has one hell of a story to tell.

Zinnias

 

 

The Zinnias in my garden are a big hit with the skippers and bees.

 

Sunflowers and Bees

 

The bees are enjoying the pollen from the sunflowers blooming in my garden and I'm enjoying taking pictures of them. It makes me feel that all my gardening work was worthwhile.

Bald Faced Hornet vs Damselfly

A Dragonfly and a Bald Faced Hornet on Deep Water Pond Bridge

I saw quite a few dragonflies and damselflies on Saturday at Connetquot River State Park. The one in the photograph above I spotted while I was at the Deep Water Pond Bridge. I wasn't the only one that noticed him. A bald faced hornet did too and he was on the hunt for it. Whenever the damselfly returned to perch on the bridge, the hornet would also land on the bridge and then slowly creep up towards it. When the hornet got too close, the damselfly took to the air and a chase would begin. The damselfly would out-fly the hornet, but would return to the very spot where it all began for another round. During the time I spent at Deep Water Pond, the bald faced hornet had no luck capturing the damselfly, although he was pretty persistent. He seemed determined to win. I left them while they were still battling it out.

Fiddler Crab

This Fiddler crab in Sunken Meadow State Park seemed to be saying en garde! as I pointed my camera at him. He was not alone. I saw hundreds of these little warriors during my walk.