Eastern Pondhawk

Here's an Eastern Pondhawk staring right at me. Most insects seem to either flee from us or ignore us, but odonates (and mantises) will sometimes look right at you. Though they may appear to be curious, I suspect they're actually engaging in some sort of threat assessment when they look at us. (Though Eastern Pondhawks are considered voracious predators, and will attack larger prey than most odonates, I'm confident that they realize I'm way too big to eat.)

Though this one was on some sort of stick, these dragonflies are more comfortable on the ground than most odonates. 

July 23, 2021 at the Plainsboro Preserve
Photo 148591900, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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