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Friday, July 19, 2019

Dragonfly Details: Friday Follow-Up

ANOTHER DRAGONFLY IS FEATURED IN VOL 1

Last Friday I took a walk to Central Park with the mission to observe dragonflies and I was blessed to spend a lot of time with one which I wrote about in this past Sunday's blog post; where I included many pictures of the creature I encountered. The aforementioned insect allowed me to take many photos of him/her. I'm still going through the many pictures he/she allowed me to take; including the one that can be seen atop this entry; where, as you can see, the image focus on the insect's facial characteristics.

The next series of pictures also focus on the dragonfly's facial features.

ANOTHER DRAGONFLY IS FEATURED IN VOL 1
ANOTHER DRAGONFLY IS FEATURED IN VOL 1
ANOTHER DRAGONFLY IS FEATURED IN VOL 1
ANOTHER DRAGONFLY IS FEATURED IN VOL 1
ANOTHER DRAGONFLY IS FEATURED IN VOL 1

In my Sunday blog post, regarding the physical attributes of the dragonfly, I did not include any photos that highlighted the face of the dragonfly, but my discussion was mainly directed on the fact that these insects have a 360 degree vision range; hence today I'm following up on my discussion with some more facts re the eyes of dragonflies.

I've now learned from a web-page for MNN (AKA Mother Nature Network) the area of a dragonfly's head "is comprised primarily of its enormous compound eyes, which contain 30,000 facets, each bringing in information about the insect's surroundings. Dragonflies have near-360-degree vision, with just one blind spot directly behind them. This extraordinary vision is one reason why they're able to keep a watch on a single insect within a swarm and go after it while avoiding mid-air collisions with other insects in the swarm."

Another aspect of dragonfly which intrigued me is how/she used his/her wings. MNN's web-page  also explains, "Dragonflies have two sets of wings with muscles in the thorax that can work each wing independently. This allows them to change the angle of each wing and practice superior agility in the air.

Dragonflies can fly in any direction, including sideways and backward, and can hover in a single spot for a minute or more. This amazing ability is one factor in their success as aerial ambush predators — they can move in on unsuspecting prey from any direction.

Not only are they agile, but they're fast, with some species reaching a top speed of 18 miles per hour."

The following series of pictures feature aspects of "my" dragonfly's wing activity.

ANOTHER DRAGONFLY IS FEATURED IN VOL 1
ANOTHER DRAGONFLY IS FEATURED IN VOL 1
ANOTHER DRAGONFLY IS FEATURED IN VOL 1
ANOTHER DRAGONFLY IS FEATURED IN VOL 1
ANOTHER DRAGONFLY IS FEATURED IN VOL 1
ANOTHER DRAGONFLY IS FEATURED IN VOL 1
ANOTHER DRAGONFLY IS FEATURED IN VOL 1
ANOTHER DRAGONFLY IS FEATURED IN VOL 1

Additionally, I was struck by how this dragonfly made use of his legs and have recently learned (from a source called SCIENCING  "the dragonfly relies entirely on flight for its movement; it does not use legs to walk but only for holding onto foliage during rest, grasping a mate during copulation and for grasping prey." The image atop this entry as well as the ones directly below illustrates how he/she almost looks like they are walking on a tight rope instead of holding on to foliage.

ANOTHER DRAGONFLY IS FEATURED IN VOL 1
ANOTHER DRAGONFLY IS FEATURED IN VOL 1
ANOTHER DRAGONFLY IS FEATURED IN VOL 1

In Sunday's posts I quoted a lyric line from Joni Mitchell's song, Circle Game, and in this follow-up I'd like to refer you to two other songs that speak of this insect: Dragonfly performed in a You Tube video by Fleetwood Mac and Little Lamb Dragonfly performed in a You Tube Video by Sir Paul McCartney.

That's it for now re my follow-up on the dragonfly, dear reader, except to remind you that a member of this insect type 's family is featured in volume one of my book series, Words In Our Beak.

MY BOOK SERIES

ADDENDUM:

As I write this addendum, it is July 2020, and the world is still under the consequences of COVID-19 (a worldwide coronavirus pandemic) that has caused hundreds of thousands upon hundreds of thousands of people to die. Many parts of the world are now mandating individuals to wear face-masks to prevent its spread.

Earlier this year I designed a line of face-masks (details are in my press release) which are produced by the sister company of Fine Art America (FAA) who reproduces a selection of my photographs on to a cloth face-mask. 

One of my selections includes an image of a dragon-fly which can be seen in the series of photographs directly below.


DRAGONFLY-THEMED MASK AVAILABLE VIA FAA
DRAGONFLY-THEMED MASK AVAILABLE VIA FAA
DRAGONFLY-THEMED MASK AVAILABLE VIA FAA

For your information, I have other selections available and the best way to learn about them is through my aforementioned press release and with that I include my addendum, but not before wishing that you and yours remain safe during this pandemic and beyond.

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