Maritte
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Viewing 4 posts - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)
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While sitting for a long time in a grassy park meadow, I realized, almost suddenly, just how many dragonflies were zipping around through the air. I wondered what they were doing. It was golden hour, not quite dusk, and I know many animals are most active during sunrise and dusk. I guessed they might be feeding, and wondered what dragonflies eat. Maybe the little gnats and flies I had observed in the still air around the park? I wondered how they eat...like are they able to just eat a bug and keep zipping around?
I looked it up to see, and my guesses seem plausible: dragonflies eat other flying insects, such as flies, midges, and mosquitos. They can also even eat butterflies and larger dragonflies. Google says that although they can catch prey in mid-air using their legs (weird), they carry their food to a perch to eat it. -
I sat in a sunny spot in my backyard near an Oregon white oak tree. I really did notice that the birds were much louder and more active after about 5-10 minutes of me sitting there. It was a very windy day. I noticed one bird using its tail feathers to maintain balance and stay in the tree, very cute, and the kind of subtle observation that I would have missed if I hadn't really been focused on making observations. I also really enjoyed doing it in my backyard. Because I sit in that space all the time, this experience really emphasized to me how many different ways there are to experience the same place depending on what you are paying attention to.
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I mostly enjoyed taking my time and doing the watercolors in layers, but sometimes it was hard to be patient. Ultimately it was quite satisfying to see the realism of the bird appear towards the end. I definitely noticed the subtle differences between colors.
While sitting for a long time in a grassy park meadow, I realized, almost suddenly, just how many dragonflies were zipping around through the air. I wondered what they were doing. It was golden hour, not quite dusk, and I know many animals are most active during sunrise and dusk. I guessed they might be feeding, and wondered what dragonflies eat. Maybe the little gnats and flies I had observed in the still air around the park? I wondered how they eat...like are they able to just eat a bug and keep zipping around?
I looked it up to see, and my guesses seem plausible: dragonflies eat other flying insects, such as flies, midges, and mosquitos. They can also even eat butterflies and larger dragonflies. Google says that although they can catch prey in mid-air using their legs (weird), they carry their food to a perch to eat it. 
I sat in a sunny spot in my backyard near an Oregon white oak tree. I really did notice that the birds were much louder and more active after about 5-10 minutes of me sitting there. It was a very windy day. I noticed one bird using its tail feathers to maintain balance and stay in the tree, very cute, and the kind of subtle observation that I would have missed if I hadn't really been focused on making observations. I also really enjoyed doing it in my backyard. Because I sit in that space all the time, this experience really emphasized to me how many different ways there are to experience the same place depending on what you are paying attention to. 
I mostly enjoyed taking my time and doing the watercolors in layers, but sometimes it was hard to be patient. Ultimately it was quite satisfying to see the realism of the bird appear towards the end. I definitely noticed the subtle differences between colors. Viewing 4 posts - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)