Well, OK, it isn’t a circle, but how do you describe the shape dragonflies make when they are, shall we say, doin’ it? I’m not really up on the whole procedure, because the sex life of anyone or anything but my own is not something I really read up on or talk about. So I don’t know how those little red eggs ended up on the green one’s belly, even if I’d hazard a guess on which one put them there. Both of them look like they’re smiling, so I hope they have both had a good time, and I hope that among the many photos of dragonflies I took the next year, some of them might have been their kids.

August 2, 2014. Nikon D7100 (DX sensor), 70–300mm Nikon zoom lens at 300mm (35mm equivalent: 450mm), f/5.6, 1/1,500, ISO 400.

Chicago has lots of underpasses, overpasses, bridges, and other road features that let pedestrians cross busy streets and highways without dying (ideally). If you’re at street level on a sunny day under an overpass, you may be lucky enough to get a view like this.

July 15, 2012. Nikon D90 (DX sensor), 70–300mm Nikon zoom lens at 105mm (35mm equivalent: 200mm), f/16, 1/30, ISO 200.

I loved the decor of this jazz club on Chicago’s Far North Side as much as I loved the music. A friend and I used to go there often before the pandemic, but she’s less interested in it now, sadly.

Anyway, I also loved the cocktails there. I’m an old-fashioned drinker, maybe literally, but if they think theirs is good enough to put on the menu, it will be my first choice. This one was not just good but strong, which may have encouraged me to take this photo so I’d remember it later. I made sure to include a little bit of that decor.

April 26, 2019. Samsung S10+ cell phone, 4.3mm focal length (35mm equivalent: 26mm), f/2.2, 1/30, ISO 640.

Behind this brick wall, which faced the street I lived on, there was a parking lot for a few businesses on the corner — a bar, a yoga studio, a bank branch. Like another brick wall I’ve published a photo of here, it seems to have suffered some damage, maybe more than once.

But one night I was coming home from an evening out and saw that someone had mounted a painting of a tranquil river and bridge scene to it. That isn’t trivial; you don’t just hammer some nails into brickwork. Maybe that’s why no other artwork joined it, and it eventually vanished as quietly as it had appeared.

April 29, 2019. Samsung S10+ cell phone, 1.8mm focal length (35mm equivalent: 13mm), f/2.2, 1/9, ISO 1,600.

This photo of the Wrigley Buildings at night already carried a bit of weight, but looked even better converted to black-and-white.

November 2, 2017. Samsung Galaxy S8+ cell phone, focal length 4.25mm (35mm equivalent: 26mm), f/1.7, 1/40, ISO 160.

A remarkable number of animals have stuck their tongues out at me while I was taking their pictures. And since they were making eye contact, I must believe it was meant as a statement and meant for me. I’m still going to take the picture.

October 9, 2011. Nikon D90 (DX sensor), 70–300mm Nikon zoom lens at 300mm (35mm equivalent: 450mm), f/16, 1/250, ISO 800.

A few days ago we saw a dragonfly that seemed to be on the verge of ecstasy as it hovered defending its turf from interlopers, but this one taking a break on a log near a pond seems to be well into the grumpy side of life.

October 6, 2019. Nikon D7100 (DX sensor), Tamron 100–400mm lens at 400mm (35mm equivalent: 600mm), f/6.7, 1/125, ISO 800.

A Cooper’s hawk rides the thermals over a pond as it searches for lunch one afternoon.

September 20, 2020. Nikon D7100 (DX sensor), Tamron 100–400mm lens at 380mm (35mm equivalent: 570mm), f/6.3, 1/1,500, ISO 200.

This hornet’s head is buried pretty deeply in that thistle, and that pollen sac is bulging ready to burst.

July 28, 2012. Nikon D90 (DX sensor), 105mm Nikon macro lens (35mm equivalent: 155mm), f/9.5, 1/750, ISO 400.

I’ve published a couple of photos of dragonflies frozen in motion, and I’ve got a couple of others in mind, but I particularly like this one because it shows just how hard those wings are working. Also, that thing is smiling, and it has cute eyelashes, even if they’re just above its mouth. But mostly, the dragonfly itself is just so sharp and still while those wings are buzzing away. I did OK on this one.

July 3, 2017. Nikon D7100 (DX sensor), 70–300mm Nikon zoom lens at 300mm (35mm equivalent: 450mm), f/5.6, 1/750, ISO 800.

The last time we saw a female wood duck, she was challenging a turtle who was looking for a sunny log to relax on. Clearly she won, and here she gets to enjoy her space, keeping an eye on the brood nearby.

June 12, 2022. Nikon D850 (FX sensor), Tamron 100–400mm at 300mm, f/6, 1/350, ISO 64.

Prints in newly fallen snow, a reminder that the nature preserve isn’t just a Summer haven.

December 22, 2010. Nikon D90 (DX sensor), DX 18–105mm lens at 105mm (35mm equivalent: 155mm), f/20, 1/250, ISO 500.

As Spring reopens the world, a bluebell brightly advertises its wares to pollinating passers-by.

May 10, 2014. Nikon D7100 (DX sensor), 105mm Nikon macro lens (35mm equivalent: 155mm), f/16, 1/500, ISO 400.

Back in my very, very failed songwriting days, one of my less awful attempts was about the pleasures of long, long legs. I never thought it would apply to a heron, and I think “pleasures” is stretching it one way or another, but they’re pretty long, and it’s one of the best full-body photos I’ve taken of a heron.

July 12, 2025. Nikon D850 (FX sensor), Tamron 100–400mm at 400mm, f/6.3, 1/800, ISO 180.

Did you know that terns can screech to a halt in mid-air? Neither did I. This one showed up in a photo published here some time ago carrying off the koi that it had just spotted in this picture. I really love that form as it sets up its dive.

April 22, 2018. Nikon D7100 (DX sensor), 70–300mm Nikon zoom lens at 300mm (35mm equivalent: 450mm), f/5.6, 1/3,200, ISO 100.