Snapdragons

William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message

Great Egret, Ardea alba, long legged wading bird. Walton County, Georgia, USA.

Thursday, 4:03 PM - The dragonflies are quite numerous on the ponds behind the animal shelter. There is a constant flurry of activity amongst the aquatic vegetation. I spotted one such beautiful creature attached to a blade of tall grass. A closer look revealed this dragon was actively devouring another dragonfly!  

I identified this Common Green Darner by the distinct “eye-spot” in the middle of his forehead; much like a mesmerizing female cyclops seductress. Okay, so that is perhaps a dramatic description. Others describe this telltale feature as a bulls eye. The male features blue along the sides of the abdomen while the female features a greenish-gray.

Common Green Darner Dragonfly damselfly, Anax junius. Walton County, Georgia, USA. Insect cannibal. The Common Green Darner is one of the largest dragonflies. It is found in many parts of North America.

These darners are active and voracious predators that will eat anything they can grab.  They devour other aquatic insects ,including dragonfly naiads, wasps, butterflies and mosquitoes. But their diet doesn’t stay within the confines of the insect order. They reportedly also snatch up tadpoles, larval salamanders, and fish. Adults catch insects in the air and may eat them in mid-flight or on a perch.  They also target prey from leaf surfaces or from off the ground. 

They are very aggressive hunters, constantly on the prowl. However, because of their aggressiveness, this predator can often turn prey. They are exposed and fall prey to predatory fish which break the water’s surface to grab them from the air. And on this particular photo-outing, they were falling prey to a much larger forager: a Great Egret.  
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Once again, the cooperative Egret that frequents our pond allowed me within 25 feet! I walked with it along the ponds edge as it fed. Catching fish? No, not a single one while I observed. But in the 15 to 20 minutes I trailed this wonderful wader, it snapped up a dozen or more dragonflies. Swiftly picking them off blades of vegetation or directly out of the air. ​

Walton County, Georgia
Sunrise 7:06 PM, Sunset 8:00 PM
Day length: 12 hours, 53 minutes
Moon: 75% waxing gibbous

Great Egret, Ardea alba, long legged wading bird. Walton County, Georgia, USA.