Next Generation of Dragonflies

In addition to seeing all the lovely Sandhill Cranes at the Preserve, I happily discovered male and female Dragonflies laying eggs in the flooded fields that will soon be filled with all kinds of waterfowl as winter nears.  It has been quite warm and with the weather changing next week, I had to take advantage of this great photo opportunity. 

In the following pictures, you will see the male on top with his tail connected to the neck of the female just below him.  They both fly together but the male appears to direct the female to the water's surface so she can deposit her eggs right into the water.  They will do this over and over for several minutes then will fly off to rest in a hidden spot. 

The last picture shows the large Green Darner pair perched on reeds at the water's edge.  You can see how secure the male's tail is attached to the back of the female's neck.  She had been laying her eggs into the water.  When she was done, she crawled up close to the male to let him know she was done and with that, they fly off.