A photo from another angle of the dragonfly that kept me company while I gardened this past weekend. I pulled back a bit for this shot so that all of him would fit in the frame. I'd also like to thank all of your for your continuing encouragement and support. I'm thrilled that my water lily images went over so well. I'm not a big proponent of the Hot20, but I do have to admit it was a thrill to see my Water Lily Zoom image at #1, and 2 others on the list as well. I appreciate it, but most of all I appreciate your comments. Renderosity is a great place, even with all of it's imperfections. You people make it that great place! ----- The DRAGONFLY Kingdom: Animalia / Phylum: Arthropoda / Class: Insecta A dragonfly is any insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies typically eat mosquitoes, midges and other small insects like flies, bees, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams, and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic. Dragonflies do not bite or sting humans; in fact, they are valued as a predator that helps control the populations of harmful insects, such as mosquitoes. Much larger dragonfly species existed in the distant past than occur on earth today. The largest, found as a fossil, is an extinct Protodonata named Meganeura monyi from the Permian period with a wingspan of 70