20,000 or more people were there, watching the Rodeo. What caught my attention was not the Bulls or the Horses or the Cowboys, but the Cowgirls in their Rockies and a superb flying creature in front of the stands.
This was the best flyer I had ever seen. It could manuever better than any airplane or helicopter made. It was turning and reversing directions in split seconds. It would speed up, then stop almost instantly. It looked like it owned all the airspace that was its habitat, without a doubt.
I was watching a large dragonfly as the Cheyenne rodeo was about to start. I was thinking about what I had read about dragonflies: They are predators who often sit on a perch and wait for prey to fly by, then pursue and catch their prey, returning to their perch to eat it.
Like many insects they have compound eyes which consist of hundreds of segments. Their eggs hatch in the water into nymphs. The nymphs go thru a serious of molts (incomplete metaphorphisis) as they grow. During a molt the nymph sheds its old skin.
Dragonfiles are among the best fliers in the animal world.
During the heat of day in midsummer dragonflies are busy - flying about catching insects and protecting their territory. The fold their legs into a basket-shape and snatch their prey out of the air.
It is easy to observe dragonflies up close if you get up early enough. In grassy meadows near lakes or ponds you will find dragonflies resting for the night. When it is cool in the early morning they must wait until the sun warms them up before they can take off. At that time you can even touch them and they won't fly. This is one of the rewards for the early-rising naturalist.
