Contentment by design - Living - Places photo #1006

"Come in," she said, "I'll give you shelter from the storm."
– Bob Dylan

Well that was a treat! I happened to be looking out our picture window at the rain that was falling this afternoon when a dragonfly swooped in and landed beneath the basket of flowers that hangs there. It was a big one, maybe 3-1/2″ long, and it stayed there for a long time, I suppose sheltering from the rain.

Conditions weren't great for a photograph as the storm had made the afternoon quite dark so I had to shoot with very high ISO, low shutter speed, and wide aperture in order to get enough light. Also, the plant was swaying in the breeze, so I had to take a lot of shots in order to get one that was in focus. Turned out pretty grainy, but still gives an idea of its magnificence.

I don't know much about dragonflies, though I often see big ones swooping around overhead, especially in the evenings. I did some searching and I think this may be in the family Aeshnidae, commonly known as darners in North America because the female abdomen looks a big like a sewing needle. Apparently they cut into stems with the appendage at the end of their abdomen, which is called an ovipositer, when they're laying their eggs.

Specifically, I think this might be a Blue-eyed Darner⩘ or some close relative, though it had its eyes fairly well hidden beneath that wilted flower.

According to Wikipedia's Aeshnidae article⩘ : "They are the largest dragonflies found in North America and Europe and are among the largest dragonflies on the planet. This family represents also the fastest flying dragonflies of the order of the dragonflies and damselflies.… The adults spend large amounts of time in the air and seem to fly tirelessly with their four large and powerful wings. They can fly forwards or backwards or hover like a helicopter. The wings are always extended horizontally."

Life is so cool sometimes!