The Dragonfly …. Enjoy a gallery!!

~~September 5, 2014~

“As it appears in …. “

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonfly

~DRAGONFLIES~~

A dragonfly is an insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera (from Greek ανισος anisos, “uneven” + πτερος pteros, “wings”, because the hindwing is broader than the forewing). It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies can sometimes be mistaken for damselflies, which are morphologically similar; however, adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most dragonflies are held away from, and perpendicular to, the body when at rest.

Dragonflies possess six legs (like any other insect), but most of them cannot walk well. Dragonflies are among the fastest flying insects in the world. Dragonflies can fly backwards, change direction in mid-air and hover for up to a minute.

Dragonflies are major predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, bees, ants, wasps, and very rarely butterflies. They are usually found around marshes, lakes, ponds, streams, and wetlands because theirlarvae, known as “nymphs”, are aquatic. About 5,900 different species of dragonflies (Odonata) are known in the world today of which about 3000 belong to the Anisoptera.

Though dragonflies are predators, they themselves are subject to being preyed upon by birds, lizards, frogs, spiders, fish, water bugs, and even other large dragonflies.

As some of you may know, I found “Minuscule” …. the playful videos included in several posts. Seems to me a found a “little treasure”. I find them so amusing and cute!

“As it appears in …. “

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minuscule_(TV_series)

“Minuscule — the private life of insects is a French-made series of short video animations giving “a bird’s eye view of insects’ day to day existence, distorted through a burlesque, yet poetic lens”. The characters are computer-modeled in 3D and set against natural scenery. Each animation has a self-contained and usually humorous story line.

The audio is a combination of genuine insect and ambient recordings with artificial sound effects. The various protagonist insects often perform anthropomorphic activities, displaying ironically portrayed intelligence, enjoyment and, sometimes, pathos.