Dragonfly

Dragonfly
Originally uploaded by MichaelDuquetteFowler

My friend the dragonfly. Doesn't matter if we are home in Maryland or in Costa Rica dragonflies seem to universally love to hang out by swimming pools. This guy hung around quite a bit. I couldn't quite get him to land on my finger like I do at home but he was curious none-the-less. The red was very intense. Our dragonflies are blue - so seeing a red one was a real treat.

A few facts:
- The larval stage of large dragonflies may last as long as five years.
- In flight the adult dragonfly can propel itself in six directions; upward, downward, forward, back, and side to side.
- Even though dragonflies possess 6 legs like any other insect, they are not capable of walking.
- Dragonflies are valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, and butterflies.