July 2 (Monday): Image #183

Now for this week's Nature moment:

Florida has over 150 species of dragonflies and damselflies, which are mosquito-killing specialists. (The difference between a damselfly and a dragonfly? At rest, the wings are held together over the abdomen by a damselfly, but are held perpendicular to the body by dragonflies, as above.) Both have movable heads and huge compound eyes (eyes that would make a Ghost Crab jealous), and their legs are attached just below their head, which makes walking all but impossible , but makes it easy to hold their lunch and dinner close to their mouth. And check this out--they have the ability to move each of their wings independently, which allows for backwards and forward flight.

This is a beautiful example of a Great Blue Skimmer (Libellula vibrans). Both sexes have green eyes, but only the male has a blue abdomen and thorax.

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