A Dragonfly Story

Blue Dasher

I had either no or almost no experience with dragonflies when I started at the nature center.  I found that one can not be there long before dragonflies cross your path.  They are on the wing from June until November and they made good targets for my camera.

This story is not about a species but a family.  They all have two sets of wings and fly, some better than others.  Some even migrate south in the autumn.

Common Whitetail

The mature dragonfly is the one that propagates the family.

Green Darner Pair

The male has a grasp of her "neck" and they fly around while she lays eggs in the water.  The female oviposits without the male ocassionally.

Green Darner Female Ovipositing Eggs

Dragonfly Larva

The eggs hatch in the water and a larva forms.  It goes through different stages in the water called instars.  Finally the larva is ready for the final moult and exits the water.

Dragonfly Exuvia

The larva climbs a reed until it is ready to exit its exoskelton.

Green Darner

 The newly moulted insect stays with the exuvia while its body pumps fluid into the wings.  When its body is ready it flies away to its new life.

Anthurium

Anthurium

AKA, Anthurium, Tailflower, Flamingo Flower are native to the Americas.  They also grow as Epiphytes, they don't need soil.

A X Roseum CV White Anturium

The flowers are often found on the spadix, often taking the form of a spike but can have other shapes.  The spathe a kind of bract is below the spadix which has variable shapes also.  The fruit forms on the spadix and assumes variable shapes and colors as well.

Thanks to Wikipedia for the information above.