Take 5 | Mass Audubon – Your Great Outdoors

Astronomy-lovers across New England gazed upward in wonder last week as Mars made its closest approach to Earth since 2003, shining big and red in the night sky. If you missed the event but still want to see some celestial marvels, you’re in luck—the Perseid meteor shower will be reaching its peak between August 11–13. A few of our wildlife sanctuaries are hosting watch parties and some have astronomy programs year-round, so be sure to look for an event in your area!

To celebrate our astral obsession, we’ve rounded up five stunning photographs of star trails and the night sky from our Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest. Enjoy these lovely images and submit your beautiful nature landscape photography to the 2018 photo contest today!

Plentiful and easy to spot, dragonflies are some of the largest insects you’re likely to see in Massachusetts. They come in a dazzling array of colors, some even appearing iridescent in sunlight. Best of all, adult odonates eat a steady diet of other flying insects, including those pesky mosquitoes and black flies.

The summer issue of Explore, Mass Audubon’s member magazine, included an “Ode to Odonates,” highlighting the dragonflies and damselflies that make up the order Odonata. Learn more about odonates, common species found in Massachusetts (more than 160 have been recorded!), and how to tell the difference between dragonflies and damselflies on our website.

Here are five stunning dragonfly photographs that were submitted to our Picture This: Your Great Outdoors photo contest in past years. The 2018 contest is open now through the end of September, so submit your great nature photos today!

Ruby Meadowhawk dragonfly (male) © Kerri Hoey

Ruby Meadowhawk (male) © Kerri Hoey

A Mass Audubon Blog

Category Archives: Take 5

Take 5: Star Trails

Take 5: Dashing Dragonflies