It was early afternoon and I realized the indoor potted plants needed watering.
They’re mainly hothouse plants so don’t actually need a lot of water to grow in the warmth of the room (despite the air-conditioner being set at 20C).
The last pot to be checked, (with a dry finger dipping into the soil), was my Lucky bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana).
To my surprise and absolute delight, there was a dragonfly grasping a stem. I presume it must have flown in the open door seeking a bit of shade in the hot afternoon.
The first shot was a bit dark and soft in focus.
I watched the insect closely for quite some time and even wondered if it was alive as its body was perfectly still.
I took a couple of shots, but bobbing down slightly and bending over was too painful on my lower spine (where I had the surgery a couple of months ago).
This might be worth getting my trusty old tripod out of the wardrobe and putting the camera on it to achieve better focus.
So I did.
The tripod was rather dusty but I opened it quickly.
Note: I’ve got a remote shutter release cable somewhere but haven’t used a tripod or the release cable for some years as most of my photography is of birds or the occasional landscape when I go for a walk. Using a good tripod, turning the image stabilising off and attaching a remote release cable really does make a difference. I’ve got two tripods. A really good, but heavy, one and a lightweight travel one which is perhaps too light and prone to falling over in strong winds.
I was wishing I still had a macro lens, but the 17-55mm f2.8 lens works just fine these days.
It was an Australian Emperor dragonfly (Hemianax papuensis). No doubt the excessive rain, floods and changing climate in Australia have suited butterflies and damselflies perfectly.
Then I saw a leg move and slowly lifted the potted plant off the TV table, opened the sliding door and set the pot down on the balcony tiles giving the insect opportunity to either sit in the hot sun or fly away.

When you’re mainly housebound, every little nature encounter is both exciting and uplifting to the spirits.
When I lived (and worked for over 16 years) next to the Royal Botanic Gardens on the southeast side of Melbourne, I concluded that the best time to photograph dragonflies was around February, often the hottest month of our summer.
I could bend, kneel and even lie on the ground back in those days, but not now (after 3 lumbar spine surgeries and a total right hip replacement).
I really appreciate it when the birds & bees and other little critters sit for a length of time at waist or chest height and don’t move. 😀
But coming indoors and standing perfectly still on a potted plant was definitely a rare occasion.