Red Dragon Fly

I have liked Dragon Flies for as long as I can remember. In the past I would just marvel at how well they fly. Plus I like the buzzing sound they make. I saw at least 3 different (Colors) kinds of Dragon Flies on this day. This was the only one willing to have his picture taken. Which was a good thing because I don't think I have ever seen a red Dragon Fly before.

I spotted this Red Dragon Fly sitting on this branch. I lifted my camera up to take a picture and off he flew. I set there for a minute looking around and he came back and landed on the same branch. I was able to take a few pictures before he flew off again. 

DragonFlys

I have been seeing Dragon flies all spring and summer. They are usually seen darting over here and darting over there. They are excellent fliers. These 2 were taken on the Wacissa River the last time I was there. This big Blue one landed on my life jacket. I thought it was interesting that he would land on the blue part of my jacket. Anyway he stayed there long enough for me to take a picture. Now if I could have just gotten him to pose a little longer and maybe a shot from the top. 

I am pretty sure this one was laying eggs. I can imagine this is a dangerous activity for a Dragon Fly. I can imagine this Dragon Fly looking over her shoulder looking for a fish coming up looking for lunch. This one did get away clean. And hopefully we will have another crop of baby Dragon Flies to watch next year.
This is a piece of my woodturning that was inspired by the Dragon Flies I have been watching. The vase is made from Winged Elm (Thanks Florida Exotic Woods) This wood is very heavy. The logs this came from took 2 people to lift. It is a nice wood to work with and has a nice grain pattern. The piercing of the Dragon Fly was drawn on by hand. I did some wood burning to the lip of the vase to add some texture.
Enjoy,