These incredible photos were sent to us by Avalus. The first time I saw them I just sat there scrolling back and forth taking in more and more detail. The first shot is all about camouflage, but after that it’s all about standing out. It’s a wonder filled study of a beautiful creature. Avalus says,
this encounter I found the most impressing. It was a really large dragonfly, just sitting on a mossy patch of sidewalk in the botanical garden of my University. She did not mind me in the slightest and I could take pictures from a few centimetres away.
She did stick her abdomen in the moss repeatedly, so maybe she layed eggs? There was a pond-flowerbed maybe 20 cm away.
The finger is for size, I did not touch her.
As you can see in picture 11, it is a beauty and a beast (if you happen the be a insect)!
Avalus, thank you so much for sharing.
libelle 1, ©Avalus, all rights reserved
libelle 8, ©Avalus, all rights reserved
libelle 9, ©Avalus, all rights reserved
libelle 10, ©Avalus, all rights reserved
libelle 11, ©Avalus, all rights reserved
libelle’s size, ©Avalus, all rights reserved
Really great photos. thank you! She is gorgeous. It does look like she’s laying eggs, perhaps that was why she was so tolerant and patient about being photographed.
Fearsome, fearles and fantastic.
I love watching natural camouflage. It’s the evolution algorithm in action!
Amazing pics.
I sometimes wonder if animals in university botanical gardens haven’t simply learned that the humans there are completely oblivious.
A gorgeous dragon dressed in mossland camo.
Very fine captures.
Picture 11 is just perfect -- the predator on the prowl! She’s beautiful, and the camouflage works -- it took me a few minutes to find her in the first picture! Dragons rule!
Thank you all. Quite the chance find and autofocus worked in my favor for once (in the photos I submitted, not so much for the others).
@Giliell: Maybe!
Oh I love picture 11! Also, I want to ignore your finger and imagine these in a Carboniferous-like scale instead. :D