A living flash of light he flew. Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Dragonflies fascinate, even amidst the many wonders of Big Cypress Swamp. The speed and determination of these aquatic insects makes them sparkle with unpredictability.
They were some of the first winged insects to evolve, some 300 million years ago. Modern dragonflies have wingspans of only two to five inches, but fossil dragonflies have been found with wingspans of up to two feet.
Dyed he is with the
Color of Autumnal days,
O red dragonfly.
Japanese Haiku by Bakusui
Dragonflies are the animal kingdom's most successful predators, catching 95 percent of the prey that it targets and consuming only what it catches in flight.
The reason the dragonfly is such as effective hunter is that when targeting its prey, the insect keeps it in sight while adjusting its flight, and can predict how it will move before catching it with its legs.
The ephemeral Halloween Pennant can deceive with is lightness and grace but others do not hide their fierceness.
The Needham's Skimmer is large and held his ground, knowing that it could fly off before I go uncomfortably close.
Of course, the predator sometimes becomes prey.
Here a Halloween Pennant is about to become lunch for a Cattle Egret, its translucent shape barely discernible to my human eyes.