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Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West (Princeton Field Guides)

Feb 1st, 2012
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Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West (Princeton Field Guides)

Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West is the first fully illustrated field guide to all 348 species of dragonflies and damselflies in western North America. Dragonflies and damselflies are large, stunningly beautiful insects, as readily observable as birds and butterflies. This unique guide makes identifying them easy–its compact size and user-friendly design make it the only guide you need in the field. Every species is generously illustrated with full-color photographs and a distribution map, and structural features are illustrated where they aid in-hand identification. Detailed species accounts include information on size, distribution, flight season, similar species, habitat, and natural history. Dennis Paulson’s introduction provides an essential primer on the biology, natural history, and conservation of these important and fascinating insects, along with helpful tips on how to observe and photograph them. Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West is the field guide

Sale Price:$29.95

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Dragonflies, Vintage Decor, and Period Living

Jan 22nd, 2012
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Dragonflies have a rich history in art and interior decoration, both in their natural form and in stylized form as symbols. They appear worldwide in art, fabrics, ceramics, stories, sculpture, furniture and wall carvings. They appear on jewelry, lamps, carpets, clothing, and much more. Although the meaning of dragonflies as symbols varies, the symbolism is invariably positive.

Those who decorate their homes in period styles and want authentic motifs from the past that are still attractive to modern sensibilities often choose dragonflies for their mysterious beauty and natural charm. Lovely as they are, it is still important to use them correctly. At different times and in different places, the dragonfly motif has been portrayed quite differently.

If you favor vintage interior decoration, it is well worth spending some time looking at how dragonfly images have been portrayed and used over the years to prevent mistakes that can clash with the rest of your decor.

Besides showing examples of authentic period design in modern usage, Period Living magazine shows holiday homes and provides rental advertising tips. So if your vintage house with is a second home or you want to rent it for other reasons such as spending time out of the country on business, you can find appreciative and responsible renters who will be gentle with your home and furnishings.

After all, there is no reason not to make money from your second home, and beautiful, thoughtful decor can help you do that. Authentic, fanciful decor can set your home apart from others and make it especially appealing to potential tenants who are looking for a beautiful and interesting place to rent.

From Japanese paintings and the Pueblo pottery of the American Southwest to Pre-Raphaelite paintings and Art Deco furnishings, dragonfly images can enhance the decor of many eras.

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Ponds, Pools and Dragonflies

Jan 15th, 2012
by Dragonfly Lore.
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“Dragonfly ponds,” as I use the term here, are “natural” ponds, meaning they are ecosystems that have been allowed to develop naturally. They contain plants, dragonfly larvae, mosquito larvae, and other creatures. Often they also have fish, frogs, turtles or other wildlife, which may include snakes, etc. Fish eat mosquito larvae and dragonflies eat mosquitoes.

That means a dragonfly pond is not good for swimming. Fish rely on a delicate system of bacteria to break down waste and replenish oxygen. Turtles may bite. And snakes… Well, you see what I mean.

So dragonfly lovers who want to swim often have a swimming pool in addition to or instead of a natural pond or water garden. Unlike a wild pond, swimming pools require maintenance. But they generally require much less maintenance than a water garden or koi pond.

For the same reason that you do not want to swim in a natural pond that is not constantly cleansed by a clear running stream, you want your swimming pool to be sparkling clean and sanitary. That requires using the right pool filters and pool chemicals to keep the water attractive and healthful, but it is easy to do.

You can easily order pool supplies on line and add or change them according to the instructions provided. There is no need to take a lot of time away from watching dragonflies.

After all, dragonflies will generally find their own way into your yard if there are nearby ponds, puddles or slow-running steams. But if you want to swim, you need a swimming pool.

And there is no reason to choose between a pond and a pool when you can so easily have both a thriving wild pond and a sparkling, fresh swimming pool, where you can relax on a raft or a chaise and watch dragonflies while sipping a cool drink.

Ordering pool supplies and accessories on line from Doheny’s makes it easy.

Dragonflies And Damselflies of Georgia And the Southeast (A Wormsloe Foundation Nature Book) (A Wormsloe Foundation Nature Book) (A Wormsloe Foundation Nature Book)

Jan 12th, 2012
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Dragonflies And Damselflies of Georgia And the Southeast (A Wormsloe Foundation Nature Book) (A Wormsloe Foundation Nature Book) (A Wormsloe Foundation Nature Book)

Visit any pond on a summer day and the air will be alive with dragonflies and damselflies–shimmering aerobatic daredevils that dart above the water and even into nearby fields and woodlands. Organized for easy use in the field, this abundantly illustrated guide, with more than 400 color photographs, is the first to cover Georgia’s dragonflies and damselflies (odonates). It details more than 150 species–species that are also the ones most likely to be seen throughout the U.S. Southeast north of Florida.The guide first explains dragonfly and damselfly body parts, taxonomy, life cycles, and habitats; discusses conservation issues; and offers tips on observing and photographing odonates. Later chapters, organized according to the ten odonate families, such as spreadwings, darners, spiketails, and emeralds, provide general family information followed by accounts of individual species. The beautifully illustrated species accounts describe general appearance and key identification

Sale Price:$17.60

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Cattails & Dragonflies Green Decorative Peel and Stick Wall Sticker Decals

Jan 2nd, 2012
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Cattails & Dragonflies Green Decorative Peel and Stick Wall Sticker Decals

Cattails nature graphics have a simple, silhouetted beauty plus colorful dragonfly accents. Try arranging them in a row along your baseboards or creating a nature scene in the middle of your wall. These reusable cattails, dragonfly and grass stickers are easy to arrange and rearrange whenever the wind

Sale Price:$12.99

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Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East (Princeton Field Guides)

Dec 8th, 2011
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Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East (Princeton Field Guides)

This is the first fully illustrated guide to all 336 dragonfly and damselfly species of eastern North America–from the rivers of Manitoba to the Florida cypress swamps–and the companion volume to Dennis Paulson’s acclaimed field guide to the dragonflies and damselflies of the West. Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East features hundreds of color photos that depict all the species found in the region, detailed line drawings to aid in-hand identification, and a color distribution map for every species–and the book’s compact size and user-friendly design make it the only guide you need in the field. Species accounts describe key identification features, distribution, flight season, similar species, habitat, and natural history. Paulson’s authoritative introduction offers a primer on dragonfly biology and identification, and also includes tips on how to study and photograph these stunningly beautiful insects.Illustrates all 336 eastern species Features hundreds of full-color photos

Sale Price:$19.77

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Holiday Wish List for Dragonfly Lovers

Dec 7th, 2011
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What do dragonfly lovers have on their holiday wish lists? Well, it depends.

Dragonfly lovers are a varied lot, from those who go out actively dragonfly-watching in the wild, oding, to those who simply love the art and lore of dragonflies. So that makes for a long and interesting dragonfly wish list.

Here are a few ideas:

Hiking boots (for watching dragonflies in the wild)

Digital camera

Binoculars

Waders (for really getting into the dragonfly pond thing)

Water lilies (for their dragonfly pond)

Dragonfly books (from art to zoology)

Water gardening books (for building a dragonfly pond)

Dragonfly jewelry

Clothes with dragonfly prints or embroidery

Home furnishings like sheets, shower curtains, dishes and wall hangings with dragonfly themes.

Of course, most dragonfly lovers also have other interests, such as gourmet coffees, games, sports equipment, perfumes, cigars, liqueurs, flowers, fruit baskets, DVDs, music CDs, small electronics, software, toys, and candy.

There are coupons at Savings.com  that can save you a lot of money on gifts for dragonfly lovers and others. You might as well take advantage of the savings, especially if you have a lot of gifts to buy.

With great savings, you can buy nicer gifts. The gift recipients will love you—and you’ll love the savings!

Sounds like a plan to me.

Dragonfly Vision: How Much Do You Really See?

Dec 6th, 2011
by Dragonfly Lore.
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We often picture dragonflies hovering over a peaceful pond, and they do that, too. But much of the time, dragonflies move fast. Serious oding, or dragonfly watching, takes a quick eye and clear vision.

Quick, darting movements, transparent wings and tiny details can make dragonfly identification difficult for those who do not see well. All of us who love to watch dragonflies need to be able to see as well as we possibly can. That often requires having good eyeglasses.

People who love the outdoors usually hate spending time in malls and other crowded areas. Many of us work full time and prefer to be outdoors in our free time, not shopping for things like glasses.

Yet to get the most enjoyment out of watching dragonflies and other of nature’s beauties, we need to be able to see well. We cheat ourselves of some of that pleasure if we neglect to fill new glasses prescriptions or to replace lost glasses because we would rather be outside.

So what do we do? One solution is to order glasses on line. Not only is it easy and convenient, it can be much, much cheaper. You can avoid the built-in extra costs for stores, advertising, middlemen, and so on.

On the Internet you can order high-quality, durable, fashionable glasses from Zenni Optical for much, much less than the ones in the mall (and put the savings on those new hiking boots or binoculars you’ve been wanting).

Oh, and you might want to go ahead and order those new eyeglasses now to make sure you’ll be ready for oding in the spring.

Dragonflies through Binoculars: A Field Guide to Dragonflies of North America (Butterflies Through Binoculars Series)

Nov 28th, 2011
by Dragonfly Lore.
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Dragonflies through Binoculars: A Field Guide to Dragonflies of North America (Butterflies Through Binoculars Series)

Dragonfly watching is fast becoming an enjoyable and exciting hobby for many of those who love butterfly watching. This book picks up on that trend and brings it to the reader in an attractive and accessible format. A new addition to Oxford’s acclaimed Butterflies through Binoculars series of field guides, Dragonflies through Binoculars allows for quick and easy identification of all the 300-plus species of dragonflies that have been found in the United States and Canada. In these well-illustrated pages, Sidney W. Dunkle answers any query the beginner or expert might have on the subject of dragonfly-watching on this continent–what kind of binoculars to buy, where to start looking for dragonflies, how to photograph these striking creatures, which clubs or societies to join, and so forth. Other important features for this handy field guide include detailed accounts of every species mentioned, useful information on habitats, explanations of mating rituals, full-color photographs of

Sale Price:$15.99

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Dragonflies, Ponds and Dry Feet

Nov 22nd, 2011
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Gardens are best enjoyed when you can get out into them. Accessibility is important. That means paths and walkways. For optimum enjoyment, it also means well-designed lighting at night.

Garden Paths

If you have a pond or water garden, you know that swampiness can be a problem. Dragonfly lovers are willing to put up with a bit of mud and wet feet sometimes. And we know to wear waterproof boots or shoes when tending to pond maintenance.

But what about guests? And what about the times when you just want to walk in your garden and watch dragonflies and don’t want to have to change shoes?

Garden improvements such as paths can be both practical and beautiful. For example, paving stone makes beautiful paths that not only keep your feet dry while walking in the garden but also make the garden itself more beautiful.

Unlike concrete sidewalks, stone pavers can even be laid in sand and moved later if you decide to rearrange the garden. Unlike gravel paths, they do not need to be renewed every few years, and they do not drift into the grass and interfere with lawn mowing.

Landscape Lighting

Another major garden improvement, landscape lighting, makes your home safer and your garden more visible, charming and accessible at night, whether for outdoor entertaining or just for gazing out the window in the evening. Decide on the effect you want and then arrange for landscape lighting installation to implement your plans.

Your dim, shadowy yard can turn into a subtly lighted landscape where your roses are highlighted as if magically spotlighted by romantic moonlight—without the harsh effects, dark shadows, and light pollution of ordinary yard lights. So you can enjoy your garden even when the dragonflies are asleep.

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