Singapore
February/March 2011
I captured these two photos of dragonflies during my recent walks down the Jurong Railway Line in Singapore.
There’s something most beautiful about dragonflies as they flutter about, occasionally landing on a plant for a short rest, before beginning their flight again.
During a short twittter conversation with @HHI_FandB (Ann Marie Adams) recently, I learnt that, in her words, “dragonflies live a small portion of entire life in flight, thus their joy in the moment short lived (is) enjoyed to the fullest extent.”
Struck by what she said, I decided to read up a little more about dragonflies and learnt that while these creatures have a lifespan of a few years, most of these years are in fact spent in the nymph stage; The time they spend as an adult, in flight, is often a mere couple of months.
How then, in @HHI_FandB‘s words again, dragonflies not the best “symbolic reminder to live in the moment”?
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Every photograph we take contains a story, but we often do not spend enough time sharing that story with others. Hence, Foto Friday was born to give some recognition to these forgotten photographs and the memories they hold. Taken over many trips (2004-present) using my crappy cameras and whatever minimal photography skills I have, these photographs serve to give you a little insight into my travels. And if you haven’t realised by now, they’ll be out on Fridays.
3 comments
Pat says:
May 22, 2011
The 1st dragonfly photo appears to show a female Crocothemis servilia (Common Scarlet, Scarlet Skimmer, Ruddy Marsh Scarlet). See my comment for the same photo featured in your other post: Jurong Line: Wildlife and Old Times in the Forest (11 Apr 11).
The bottom photo shows a male Neurothemis fluctuans (Common Parasol, Red Grasshawk). The immature males & females are golden-brownish — the females are differentiated by clear transparent wings (w/o the broad coloured patches) & wider anal parts; & become greyish with age. This native species is probably the most common dragonfly in S’pore, & can often be seen at disturbed open habitats with stagnant (even muddy) water.
Some photos: Some photos: LINK1, LINK2, LINK3: Immature male, LINK4: Immature male transiting into mature male.
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=> Male dragonflies are territorial — they like to hover around a certain area, or perch on a vertical surface to watch over their surroundings in defence against other dragonflies or intruders. Species adapted to urban/disturbed habitats tend to be less nervous & don’t flutter around as much as forest/shy species, & hence are more easily photographed.
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=> In wet tropical climates like S’pore, the dragonfly nymph/larva stage occurs over a couple of months, usually under 1 year (unless the food supply is very limited, eg. inside a tree-hole), while the adult stage lasts for several weeks to several months. (Note: Damselflies generally have shorter lifespans, & the adults of some species may live only 1-2 weeks.) In contrast, the dragonfly species native to temperate climates may spend several years in the nymph stage.
deafknee says:
Jun 6, 2011
@Pat: thanks for the information. I was previously completely unaware about the lifespan on a dragonfly, but your comment has definitely enlightened me a whole lot.
Jean says:
Mar 4, 2012
Wow, red dragonflies. In our part of the world, southern British Columbia, it’s blue-body dragonflies.