Green Darner

When I visited Bronte Creek yesterday, I noticed thousands of dragonflies flying over an open field and sunning themselves on the bushes nearby. It took a little patience to approach the ones at rest, but with a quick swipe of my bug net  I had one as my subject for close-up photography!

These giants of the insect world, with 3 inch wingspans, are called green darners. They catch other flying insects on the wing with their barbed legs. They lay their eggs on water plants and their larvae are ferocious hunters in fresh water.

Check his compound eyes in this stereo cross-view close-up. Amazing!