The black flies were done, but the mosquitoes were out in full force. Sitting outside was a penance. Ah, the joys of lakes on the Canadian Shield.
Then, from one moment to the next, squadrons of dragonflies moved in. Hurray!
This one took a moment’s rest on a second-storey deck railing, right beside a fly swatter.
Cool insects !
Ralph – Certainly very welcome insects! Their eyes always look wrong to me – no reflection.
I had to look up “dragonfly food” to appreciate how great a superiority those insects have to humans’ unwieldy swatting tools. From nymph stage they are brilliant predators on most other insects, not just mosquitoes. And those eyes that give this specimen its cute and dopey expression? They provide surround vision with their 30,000 facets, sense in the ultraviolet end of the spectrum, have polarizing qualities like quality sunglasses, and allow the dragonfly to anticipate the location of its prey so it can arrive at that locus before the hapless bug flies into its clutches. Thanks for igniting another happy excursion into the wonders of nature!
Laurna – Thank you for sharing!