Under the African sun.

Hot and fierce as usual in summer, but thankfully we are used to the sun, and also its dangers. The daily power cuts also keep us dodging around.

Going around from shade to shade under the trees to see what I could find in the pond.

Odonata is the collective term for dragonflies and damselflies. They fall into two suborders, namely Anisoptera (true dragonflies) and Zygoptera (damselflies).
Dragonflies and damselflies are readily distinguished from one another, by differences in their build, their wing shape, and their eye structure. Damselflies are slim-bodied, have similar four- and hind wings that taper narrowly where they join the body, and their eyes are widely separated on their heads.
Dragonflies, by contrast, are more robustly built, and their four-and hind wings differ in shape and are broader-based than those of damselflies.

Look how the sun blanches this dragonfly below.

I moved to the mountain side of the pond to try to get some color.

This below is a male Navy Dropwing (Trithemis furva). Look at his beautiful colors.

And here we have a male Red-veined Dropwing (Trithemis arteriosa).

The scientific study of Odonata is known as odonatology - not to be confused with odontology (forensic dentistry). Not surprisingly, the two names share a common root. Odonata meaning a "toothed jaw" in Greek and in dragonflies referring to the formidable mandibles of the larval form. The use of the word "dragonfly" as a catch-all that sometimes includes damselflies, is confusing.
I have often seen posts with damselflies called dragonflies, and it is important for us to understand the differences.

Sitting at each end of this water plant to protect their territory.

The blue's territory is at the left, and the red's territory is at the right.

A lovely mountain shot to end the post.

In Germany, dragonfly watching is a popular outdoor activity. Dragonflies as a group are called Libellen, with Klein Libellen used for damselflies, and Gross Libellen used for dragonflies. In France, they call them demoiselles or monsieurs. In Italy, they refer to them as cavallocchio. In Japan, where dragonflies have a special place in the country's culture and folklore, there are even nature reserves created specifically to protect the dragonflies.

Note: All dragonfly information taken from our book "A guide to Dragonflies and Damselflies of South Africa", by Warwick and Michele Tarboton. ISBN: 978-177584-184-5

I hope you have enjoyed the pictures and the story.

Photos by Zac Smith-All Rights Reserved.

Camera: Canon PowershotSX70HS Bridge camera.

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