Dragonflies - with their incandescent wings and smiley faces - have long been one of my favorite subjects, but this particular dragonfly was amazing to photograph. I found him early this past October, clinging to a blade in the dew wet grass near the pond. He barely moved as I inched closer. When I opened the photos on my computer screen, I was amused to think that he might have been mesmerized by his reflection in the water drop that he appeared to be grasping like a mirror.
It reminded me of a much earlier photograph I captured of a yellow jacket who appeared to be fixed on his reflection, allowing me to get closer than if the circumstances were different and the yellow jacket had seen me.
Fortunately, for both the dragonfly and the yellow jacket, I intended no harm - though I'd smash a yellow jacket in a heartbeat - but their apparent distraction with their own reflection seemed to make them vulnerable to approaching danger.
I'm sure there's a lesson in that.
