Too Hot for Butterflies

no filter used....I liked to see things from his perspective

There is a wonderful online group called Meet Up that is nationwide.  By going online and entering your zipcode you can "meet up" with people who share similar interests.

this butterly is about the size of a dime

My first adventure was last Sunday when a group was meeting at the Springbook Nature Center in Coon Rapids MN. 

The naturalist met with us and after a short power point demo of what to watch for we headed out into the hot sweltering heat to pursue butterflies.

The group was very informal and friendly and we chased after anything that had wings or held our interest. 

this has a watercolor filter added to it

It was a gorgeous nature center and I'm looking forward to returning again on a cooler day to explore more of the trails.

no filter used but it still has a dreamy quality to it

It seems dragonflies are what appeal to me lately, or at least they presented themselves in large numbers to be photographed. 

I managed to get a variety of shots and have had fun manipulating them with various filters to create a painted look.

Many of the shots have such a dreamlike quality to them.  Using a large apperature gives a nice blur to the background and since things were moving I kept the apperature quite open for more shutter speed.

Our next event is a Japanese drumming concert in one of the parks nearby.   I really hope the weather is better by that time.  We'll meet early to get fairly close to the action so I think I'll be okay with my new favorite lens.

Since we didn't see a lot of butterflies on our shooting, I figured I should at least put in my photo of butterfly weed...it's one of my favorites with its cheerful bright orange flowers.

Maybe it was too hot for them to be out there also, but they had enough sense not to show up.

Long Live the Queen of the Lepidoptra