Central Ohio NatureLily Pads and Dragonflies
We remembered from past visits that Kiser Lake, about an hour and a half drive west of our home in Columbus, had a lot of lily pads. Consistent with our experience in previous years as summer moved from July into August, we found ourselves increasingly enamored with our insect friends, particularly dragonflies and butterflies. What better spot to look for dragonflies than a lake with lots of lily pads!
We had the good fortune to see numerous mating pairs of Halloween Pennant dragonflies and a new to us, Lilypad Forktail damselfly. Other dragonflies were seen, including Blue Dashers, but none felt like posing for a picture. An added treat for the day was seeing the dark morph of an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.
Our means for getting close the subject would be a canoe. To improve the chances of spotting something of interest we would try to stay right in the middle of the lily pads as we circumnavigated the lake. If you are interested in the route, see: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=917604
While we were more intent on looking for dragonflies, we were impressed with how many birds were seen. In one area of the lake, we flushed out at least seven Great Blue Herons. Other than in a rookery, that’s perhaps the largest number we had ever seen in close proximity to each other.
Our three-hour paddle on Kiser Lake had definitely exceeded expectations. In that time, we had observed a world going about its day with no need of us. That’s probably not something that could be said if the tables were turned. But leaving such worrying thoughts aside, we were embraced by a feeling of gratitude for the privilege of an intimate presence in their world for what seemed a too brief moment in time.
Thanks for stopping by.
Central Ohio Nature 
What a fascinating time you had, removed for three hours from the problems of our world and plunged into somewhere much more interesting. Great pictures thank you.
Thanks Susan, it is like a mini vacation!
Exactly.
Such a beautiful and peaceful post; I felt like I was there seeing the beautiful sites and hearing the sounds. God’s beauty is breathtaking! Thank you for this gift.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Beautiful. Thank you!
Really wonderful pictures let us share your delight. Thank you.
Congrats on the lilypad forktail! I sometimes take my kayak out to look for dragonflies also, and have found that if I can stabilize my kayak in a mass of lilypads, I have a much better chance of getting sharp photos. And as I’m sure you found out, it’s very cool to have them flying all around you and sometimes even landing on the boat.
Yes, the canoe really stays put in the lily pads allowing even the smallest damselfly to be photographed. It’s a wonderful experience to be part of their world for a while.