15 October 2004

The Green Darner at Rest

Denise Greaves

Sheldon and I encountered this magnificent green darner (Anax junius) in some brush near a run-off pond adjacent to an industrial area. I estimate that this petite beauty was about 6.5 cm (about 2.5 inches) long, with a wingspan of over 7.5 cm (over 3 inches). I had seen several common green darners in this area, but this was the first time I saw one perched while I was carrying a camera.

I took the photos with an SLR camera (35mm film) bearing the brand name Argus/Cosina.  It might be described as a Pentax "clone" with the old screw mount.  I'm not sure how old the camera is, it was purchased about twenty-five years ago. The lens is a telephoto 90-230mm zoom that I obtained 16 or 17 years ago at a garage sale. I can't find a brand name anywhere on the lens itself, but the lens cap says "Asanuma." An attached handgrip helps me steady this 2 kg (4.5 pound) set-up. (The sort of photography that I attempt usually doesn't lend itself to the use of a tripod.) The photos were scanned at 300 DPI on an ordinary flatbed scanner.