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The Dragonfly and Its Prey
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The Dragonfly and Its Prey This weekend I was up in northern MN. I drove up the north shore of Lake Superior to Grand Portage State Park right on the border. Hiked up to a gorgeous 13 story waterfall . This is the area where there is a historic 9 mile portage from the lake to the smaller lakes of the BWCA. On the way back to the car, I stopped at a sunny overlok and wham! a dragonfly had landed on the back of my shoulder. It was a huge one with a 2.5 inch wingspan. It had caught some insect in its mandibles. The dragonfly had this fascinating camofluage pattern of blue, grey, black and brown that would be good for hiding on tree bark. As I watched, the prey was rearranged in its mouth and struggled. The dragonfly would move it, take a bite and hold it; then move it again. Eventually the insect was eaten in half and a red circle of its torso could be seen. Meanwhile the drragonflys mandibles kept chewing it and rearranging it with its legs. The insect (a cicada?) was scraping at the eyes down to the very last. I watched it all disappear down the gullet. I had never seen something like this with insects and feel very lucky to have seen it. I wanted to tell the first person I saw but not many would appreciate seeing the food chain so up close, in person. |
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Poor cicadas take a beating..... I saw one get dragged into a ground hornet's hole in a sand bunker the other day. Buzzing and kicking the whole time!  *hums "circle of life" from the lion king
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