blue dasher dragonfly by Richardphotos

Photography • Macro • posted on Aug 06, 2007

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Description

there has been many of these dragonflies flying outside of my house. this particular male heard that I photograph them a lot and agreed to pose for me.it was on a dead limb that I am using for a plant to climb.this was not cropped but only resized.I was maybe 6 inches or less from it with a 105 macro Dragonflies have excellent eyesight. Their compound eyes have up to 30,000 facets, each of which is a separate light-sensing organ or ommatidium, arranged to give nearly a 360Ã�Â° field of vision, important for taking prey on the wing, as has done the female shown above. Odonates are completely harmless - they do not sting or bite. Indeed, they are beneficial in the same respect spiders and other predators are beneficial - they keep the burgeoning insect population in check. Many of these species prey on each other; I often see dragonflies with damsels in their clutches. Dragonflies are among the most ancient of living creatures. Fossil records, clearly recognizable as the ancestors of our present day odonates, go back to Carboniferous times which means that the insects were flying more than 300 million years ago, predating dinosaurs by over 100 million years and birds by some 150 million. 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 70-75 cm (27.5-29.5 in). This compares to 19 cm (7.5 in) for the largest modern species of odonates, the Hawaiian endemic dragonfly, Anax strenuus. The smallest modern species recorded is the libellulid dragonfly, Nannophya pygmaea from east Asia with a wingspan of only 20 mm, or about Ã�Â¾ of an inch. Dragonflies are the world's fastest insects and, although estimates of their speed vary wildly, most credible authorities say they are capable of reaching speeds of between 30 and 60 km/h (19 to 38 mph). A study showed that dragonflies can travel as much as 85 miles in one day. http://www.cirrusimage.com/dragonfly_blue_dasher.htm thanks for viewing and any comments I heard that our dear friend Ludy is out of the hospital

Comments (84)

42n8

4:27PM | Mon, 06 August 2007

Just 1 more push up lol. Fantastic capture Richard and great POV

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iceberg5

5:14PM | Mon, 06 August 2007

Exquisite detail in this xcellent closeup shot of this dragonfly ! Great work , Richard !

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2Loose2Trek

5:30PM | Mon, 06 August 2007

Fantastic macro!

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babuci

6:15PM | Mon, 06 August 2007

Amazing details on a wing mosaic pattern. Well done!

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bpclarke

6:17PM | Mon, 06 August 2007

I really like the POV of this capture. Excellent colors and details. Superb shot. Bunny

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Gaiadriel

6:33PM | Mon, 06 August 2007

Huge smile...my second alltime favorite creature...and, as always, an incredibly beautiful capture...and wonderful pov, Richard :)

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Skyback

7:45PM | Mon, 06 August 2007

Very interesting work!

vkoontz

8:48PM | Mon, 06 August 2007

Oh, yeah,like Dragons Exelennt shot!

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annie5

8:48PM | Mon, 06 August 2007

Very spectacular..Superb capture! :)

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npauling

9:00PM | Mon, 06 August 2007

A super shot and so well posed!! Aren't his wings beautiful. I enjoyed reading the info too so thanks for posting it.

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keeneye

9:40PM | Mon, 06 August 2007

Wonderful shot!!!!!!! And incredible POV too!!!! Thanks for all the info too, it's fascinating. I love to know all those facts!! and thanks for identifying my dragon today!!!!!

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