The Dragonfly Drama continues

I spent about an hour near the lotus pond just before noon, knowing the dragonflies would be out and about.

Today's session went differently, and I have some new photos to share. The details of what I saw today are not quite the same story I told yesterday. It's worth reading on if you don't have the opportunity to observe mating dragonflies, as I most definitely will not have any of such opportunities as of next week.

                                      Meet the Great Blue Skimmer!

         

I think this is the best shot I've taken of the Great Blue Skimmer, but it doesn't seem to be the same male dragonfly that I was observing earlier this week... his wings are not tattered like the other was. I'm calling this fella Mr. Blue Eyes. Isn't he a pretty one?

Mr. Blue Eyes tried to chase me away, flying all around my head, but I stood fast, and he soon came to ignore me. For awhile, nothing happened.

                             But then, an intruder showed up.

             

I haven't got the ID on this dragonfly, but he's definitely not a blue skimmer. Mr. Blue Eyes sent him on his way. Several times. At one point, there was a dragonfly standoff. Can you see the Trespasser to the right in the photo below? He was a stubborn one, but I suppose he needed to seek a mate of his kind as well. At least they wouldn't be fighting over the same girlfriend, just the rights over which one gets to lay their eggs in the pond below them.

Soon, Mr. Blue Eyes caught sight of his mate, and off they flew, circling slowly at first just a few feet above my head, and then more intensely, their circle grew. They flew higher above the treetops, and the circle grew wider. The distance between them seemed to decrease as he pursued her.

I stood still below, trying to follow them with my eyes, but their incredible speed was impossible to keep up with. So close they flew at one point, I thought he was going to nab her, but he didn't. Their circle grew tighter and tighter, they were flying closer together, faster and faster above my head. This went on and on, and I thought to myself, "Get her already!!"

My neck was aching from looking up, and around and around, my eyes squinting against the sun. But I knew if I waited long enough, they would mate, and they would come down in tandem to the ground where I could take their pictures.

Which is what they finally did. But this is the best shot I got of them today.

                          

And then I waited for her to come back and lay her eggs in the lotus pond water, but she didn't. Maybe there was another small water source nearby where no intruders stood with cameras like paparazzi, waiting to invade their rigorous ritual of reproduction.

Mr. Blue Eyes returned to his observation station on the tree branch just inches above my head, and waited for the next Ms. Blue Eyes. She didn't return while I was there.

I waited for another ten minutes in the hot sun, but the only flying insect that came through the territory was the trespasser dragonfly. Mr. Blue Eyes chased him off again. Then Max saw me and wondered what I was doing, came toward me, and scared the dragonflies off for good.

                                 

I did not go to school today. I didn't think it was necessary since we didn't have a student list to work with, and I can't move into my classroom until it is cleared out by the former occupant, and she can't move out of it until her classroom is completed. Sort of at a standstill... so much to do, but things are tied up, and we are not free to move.

I did some things around the house, and some work on the computer, then Steve and I went out for dinner. Around 5:15 I drove to my church where the Methodist Women were providing meals to the Kiwanis Club. I helped serve and clean up.

There were nearly 120 members meeting for the meal, so we were quite busy for three hours. I and another woman served the drinks: iced tea or water. It was actually a fun evening with some of my most favorite ladies, and our pastor.

And now, it's time to go to bed! I plan on going to bed much earlier next week, folks!

(By the way, Jackie, in response to your concern over the doomed progeny... I thought about it, and you know what? The frogs and tadpoles aren't as high on the food scale in this environment as I previously thought. They have predators threatening their existence in this tiny little puddle of a pond as well, so the future of the young dragonfly eggs and larva may be more secure than I had thought. I imagine enough eggs will survive into the nymph stage, and enough nymphs will make it to adulthood, so it is not as fatalistic as I made it sound yesterday. Now, don't go worrying over the frogs and tadpoles!  : - )