Of butterflies and dragonflies.

Don't miss the last picture in this post.

Amazing where I find some of the insects lately, as this one was in a thorn bush nowhere near any water. Normally one would think that dragonflies must be near water. Maybe near rivers, dams, and wetlands. But not this time as I got this one above amongst some bushes in an open space. Nature does indeed have a treasure trove of insects, and I read somewhere that only 1 million of the insects were identified as there are still 4,5 million unidentified insects. Just imagine that, as it is a mind-blowing situation. The planet is crawling with insects, and we don't know most of them. What a drama.

A shopping center car park? Can you see the butterfly in this picture?
One expects to find Citrus Swallowtail butterflies in citrus trees, like our lemon tree at home. But I found this one at a shopping center in town.

Lovely, isn't it?

And there's the mate. So, there was not just one, as there were two.

It sat as a spot close by.

This is my favorite shot of it.

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Now this is a place where one would expect to get them.

This is a female Blue Emperor dragonfly (Anax imperator) doing some egg laying.

Look at that lovely face.

Wings reflected in the water below the dragonfly.

Finally, my National Geographic reflection shot.

I think most people ignore these things in nature, as for instance I was standing at the shopping center with my camera out taking shots of the dragonfly. Some people that passed gave me dirty looks, thinking that maybe I am taking photos of them, or their cars, or their shopping, and some others took an interest in what I am taking photos of. The normal exclamations of "Ooh, that is so beautiful" is welcoming, but it's the suspicious people that gives me a pain, you know where.

I have had a few scrapes with suspicious people when I take pictures outside, but I just shrug them all off and continue doing what I do. Maybe the Covid lockdowns were really bad medicine for the countries, as people have become so much more suspicious. Sneeze in public, and people close by will instantly disappear. Imagine that? Fart in public, and it will all be okay, as only a few bad looks emerge. But a sneeze or a cough is bad news, even if there is nothing wrong with one.
Such is life.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the story.

Photos by Zac Smith. All-Rights-Reserved.

Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.

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