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Ethan A. Winning
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Dragons and Damsels Creating the Next Generation 1288
Dragons and Damsels Creating the Next Generation 1288

A microcosm of the Odonata world: the beginnings of the next generations.

It's a small but busy world for Odonata, and I found this complex gem in my archives. You may have to view large, but take the scene in as a whole for now.

In the center (left "reed") is a pair of Green Darners dragonflies mating. The male (green head, blue body) is up front and is attached to the female (golden head, green body; head just under the male's thorax) whose abdomen is in the water. She is laying eggs while the next eggs to be laid are simultaneously fertilized just in front of her wings.

On the right reed and below the darners is a pair of Vivid Dancer damselflies, blue male, golden female in the same position. She is laying her eggs just beneath the large (well, to them, it's large) leaf. The male is hovering though it's difficult to see the blur of the wings.

It's the first and last time I got a shot of two species in the same frame, and an idea as to the difference in size. Amazingly, from an evolutionary standpoint, these two species are 60 million years apart (dragons at 330 million years; damsels, 270 million) yet almost all functions and biology are identical. Odonata emerge from the larval stage to become winged, hunting adults at the same time of year and now we seem them starting the next generation pretty much in sync. Given sufficient numbers, this will be our 45th year when we haven't seen a mosquito!

One of the first shots I took with my new SX20. I was pleased with the results, with some pleasant enhancements over the SX10. I have no idea why this image remained in my files (it wasn't even in my Dragonfly file, remaining in "Originals 2010").

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Taken on: August 16, 2010
Tags: Everybody's photos tagged with (C) Ethan Winning (C) Ethan Winning Everybody's photos tagged with Walnut Creek, CA Walnut Creek, CA Everybody's photos tagged with Heather Farm Pond 1 Heather Farm Pond 1 more » Everybody's photos tagged with Canon SX20 Canon SX20 Everybody's photos tagged with Insects Insects Everybody's photos tagged with Dragons and Damsels Dragons and Damsels Everybody's photos tagged with Odonata Odonata Everybody's photos tagged with Vivid Dancer Damselfly Pair. Vivid Dancer Damselfly Pair. Everybody's photos tagged with Green Darner Dragonfly Pair Green Darner Dragonfly Pair Everybody's photos tagged with Mating and Laying Eggs Simultaneously Mating and Laying Eggs Simultaneously « less
Sets appears in:   • Dragonflies & Damselflies   
Groups appears in:   • Dragonflies    • Flying Insects    more » • Insect Photography    • The Magic of Nature    • Nature, wildlife, and the great outdoors    • For The Love Of Dragonflies    • Insects and Spiders    • FLICKR INSECTS    • Spectacular Insects    • The Beauty of Nature    • Cool insect photos    • Beautiful Bugs    • Insects - NO VIDEO    • Dragonfly & Damselfly Moments (P 1 - A 2)    • California Nature    • Just Insects    • Damsels and Dragons    • Insects of the World    • Insects, Bugs, and Butterflies    • Realm of the Insect    • The Bug Room    • Amazing Insects!    • .: Dragonfly & Damselfly Addicts :.    « less
Camera: Canon PowerShot SX20 IS, f/5.7, 1/800 sec, 100mm, ISO 200 (more info) (hide info)
Camera: Canon PowerShot SX20 IS
Aperture: f/5.7
Exposure Time: 0.001 sec (1/800)
Focal Length: 100mm
ISO: 200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire
Exposure Mode: Auto
Metering Mode: Multi-segment
White Balance: Auto
Color Space: sRGB
Software: ACDSee Pro 6
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