Dragonfly!

I came across a beautiful lily pond not far from where I live where I saw many different kinds of dragonflies. Interesting little creatures, boasting wildly coloured bodies and amazing agility. Of course I had to take a few photos. I saw a beautiful one at the Brisbane City Botanic gardens too, shown here.

The first two pictures are from a male Wandering Percher, known by the black markings on the red body and the distinctive red marks on their wing tips.

Here is a male Black-headed Skimmer, also with beautiful coloured spots in their wing tips.

Not a dragonfly, but a related cousin called a damselfly. Pictured here is the Blue Riverdamsel. When perched, damselflies generally keep their wings folded behind them, whereas dragonflies keep them spread open.

The Australian Emerald, taken as it flew over some very murky water.

 As kids we used to call these insects "helicopters", and this image clearly shows why. This one is coming in to land on lily pad #2 after being cleared by Air Traffic Control.

Lastly, a silhouette of a Black-headed Skimmer perched on a twig with a lily leaf in the background, shimmering in the sunlight.