I took some time over the past few days to peruse the tall grass around the OWLS site east of Bismarck in search of some insects. They’re often quite difficult to capture on film, as they don’t sit still for long. Also, it’s VERY easy to get a blurry shot with a macro lens when focusing closely. Here are a few of the critters that I caught:

Golden Dragon – this guy was actually panting in the heat! That was a weird sight.

This little guy was a translucent white color with black stripes.

The blue ones are my favorite, of course!

This little black and green fly was hanging upside-down with his wings spread. Here you can really see how my macro lens focuses on a very narrow range. That’s called Depth of Field and this lens has a very shallow DoF. Sometimes part of the bug will be in focus and part out of focus, which is artistic, yet frustrating!

Red Dragon – just like the title of a Thomas Harris book I read in high school, the one that introduced a certain Doctor Hannibal Lecter.

Another white and black damselfly, hanging on in a precarious position.

This gold dragonfly exhibits some shiny gold to his wings as well as the rest of his body.

These guys were hoving around the stalks of the plant life, occasionally darting in and pecking at them. I can only guess that they were eating little aphids off the leaves or something. This fella decided to stop for a rest, and that’s when I got him.

Wherever there’s a good supply of little bugs for them to eat, they’ll be darting around. If you’re around water, you’re likely to spot little flies like this one. In years past, the state capitol grounds has been full of dragonflies, too! Keep your eyes peeled…they’re out there.