Pondhawk

I've been seeing this green dragonfly for a week or so now, but it has not been interested in being photographed....flying away whenever I get anywhere near. Today it posed for me. It seems like dragonflies need to get used to your presence and then they enjoy the attention. Or something! I bought three iron dragonflies on stakes - garden art if you will - and the dragon flies are drawn to them. It's really rather charming! So that's what this Pondhawk is sitting on. Pondhawks are in the genus Erythemis and a very common skimmer in the US (although I've never seen one). iNaturalist, which ID'd this dragonfly says that they are "voracious predators of other insects up to their own size, including other dragonflies". Yowch! 

Since I'll be at the coast next week, I went to see mom today and we spent a few hours together. We talked about a lot of memories of travel and growing up (her and me) and memories. It's just so darned hard.