I was in the garden when I saw a puzzling something zig-zag past, closely followed by a hummingbird. When the something landed, I saw that it was a dragonfly that had captured a butterfly . . . and was proceeding to eat it.
I have a fondness for dragonflies -- they eat mosquitoes, you know -- but I'd never, ever seen one nab a butterfly.
He (or she) stayed put as I got closer and closer . . .
It was fascinating; two beautiful insects . . . The dragon fly, a sinister high-tech helicopter, the butterfly, a hapless damsel . . .
Exquisite colors and patterns caught up in macabre dance of death.
27 comments:
Oh...I know everything has to eat, but...that poor butterfly.
An amazing photo capture, though, just amazing!
Fantastic photo and I'm with Victoria... poor butterfly.
Wasn't it Annie Dillard who wrote in Pilgrim at Tinker Creek? "Birds gotta fly, fish gotta swim, and bug gotta do one damn thing after another."
I love bugs, mostly. Wonderful photos!
Amazing capture:
You'll need an award!
Well caught, Vicki!
In a strange way, I suppose this is nature in harmony, the balance of light and dark.
You got some wonderful pictures of that happening didn't you! My goodness nature is so aggressive at times. Poor butterfly - did the dragonfly really need to eat it?
wow...i consider each beautiful in its own right...have never seen this though...great captures...
Amazing that you were able to capture this with your camera. Poor butterfly.
Sam
Now we know why it is called a dragonfly!
Wow!!
You mentioned that dragonflies eat mosquitoes. No one would feel sorry for the mosquito! :o)
Ahwww...nature can be so cruel at times! Great shots though! XO
So glad your camera was handy for this one. Excellent shots. Beautiful dragonfly, too. Jim
Exquisite colors! Gruesome scene!
Reality of life too...
Awesome capture Vicki! The cycle of life must go on.
Exquisite photo, Vicki; did the hummingbird eat them both, in the end?
Amazing! I had no idea a dragon fly could eat something as large as a butterfly. You definitely captured the beauty and the horror of nature.
Vicki -- what a powerful set of photos. Good that you had your camera nearby. It reminded me of National Geographics. Wonderful!
Dear Vicki,
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I almost felt like I was at the opera. Good vs.evil, survival of the fittest, the dance of death... what cool photos.
Wow!! Wasn't that a thrill? Capturing that moment, as an observer? You don't want to see anything get eaten, but to capture such a moment with your camera must have been very exciting. One of my coworkers came upon a praying mantis battling a yellow jacket over some prey, tried to capture it on his cell phone...not quite the same. But rather amazing, nonetheless. These photos DO remind me of National Geographic, as one of the commenters said.
great pics again Miss Vicki!
JJRod'z
Amazing images, Vicki.
Did not know dragonflies ate butterflies. Now I'm getting a little uneasy about the dragonflies who land on my toes!
I'm so reminded of Annie Dillard's book "Pilgrim At Tinker Creek" with this post. I remember a line in one of her chapters that went something like this: "Birds gotta fly. Fish gotta swim. Insects, it seems, gotta do one horrible thing after another."
Just a wonderful book!
Rick
Smithsonian has an annual photo contest The bottom one is definitely a candidate. Someone can do the red tape stuff for you!
How really coool, Vicki! And what a surprise! I never suspected such treachery on the part of the dragonfly! Might need to keep an eye on those Devil's Darners !
Elora
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