“She glitters like she walked out of a Klimt painting”
― Jandy Nelson

I came across this Emerald Jewelwing, who was resting briefly on a leaf just below eye level. There are time where they just sit and pose for long periods, but not today. This brief pause lasted only a few seconds and it was fluttering madly about once more, in the warming air above me. It also provided me a challenge, as half of its body was shaded by a leaf, a common problem when doing nature photography, and it was not about to be moved, nor could I move the leaf over without disturbing it. So, I ended up with a less than ideal, partially shaded image, which is better than nothing at all

With a motion a bit like a butterfly, random and seemingly without direction, the jewel wings float and dart among the branches. This leads me to wonder what the purpose of this haphazard motion is? Since they are not quick, like dragonflies, I wonder if the random movement protects them from predators, it certainly makes it difficult to photograph them in flight.

Nikon D800
Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 (272ENII)@90mm
1/250 sec, f/7.1 ISO 100

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