Wasp vs Dragonfly

It seems as though I have been privy to some pretty unusual insect sightings. For example, you may remember this post. Yesterday I was witness to a brawl. A showdown. Ok, a THROWdown, between a wasp and a dragonfly. 

The wasp won. 

Charles and I were just sitting on our blanket minding our own business when a few feet away we heard a frantic buzzing. Flying just above the grass was a dragonfly with a wasp on it's back. I wasn't sure if the wasp was stinging it or just attacking. It pinned the dragonfly to the ground while it's long wings were buzzing like crazy and then the wasp flew away. The dragonfly laid in the grass and every now and then would try to fly but one of it's wings was pretty bent up. 

I tried to get it to climb on a stick but it just hobbled away. We left it alone and continued our book reading and airplane spotting.
About ten minutes later, the wasp came back. I saw it hovering over the grass looking for the dragonfly, I'm sure, perhaps to finish the job? It spotted it's prey and landed on it's mark. The dragonfly was no longer flapping it's wings and the only movement I could see from it was the end of it's tail(?) curling and uncurling. Like a scorpion.

Was the wasp... pollinating? Do wasps even do that? From where we were sitting it looked like it was chewing the dragonfly's face off. After a few minutes it left and I walked over to take a closer look.
This is what I saw

Upon further examination, I noticed this laying a few inches away. If you're thinking that's the dragonfly's head, you are right.

I know what you're thinking. Gross. I agree. The wasp somehow decapitated the dragonfly and then ate it's guts. I didn't even know wasps did this. Don't dragonflies eat other bugs, including bees? Perhaps it was an act of self defense? Dragonflies beware, do not mess with wasps!

Brutality and grotesqueness aside, I was able to see the details on it's wings which I thought were really beautiful. And the colors on it's body were so vibrant!

Viewer Beware

The following is not for innocent eyes...

Ok, so I would like to start off by saying that I have been pretty unsure as to whether or not I should post the following photos on my blog. I realize that the content is pretty 'adult'. However, please bear with me and view the photos with a purely artistic eye.

I am not a professional photographer. Nor am I a paparazzi (although the two being photographed may argue otherwise). My only photographic claim to fame is that I submitted a photo into a contest that was chosen and printed in a calendar, which I am very proud of. However, after capturing the following photo I was urged by a few people, my husband included, to submit it to National Geographic.

Well, two days ago, I did just that. This is that photo:

I titled it "Making Larvae".

Let's add some zoom..

Now, please, before you pass judgement and run from the computer screen asking for forgiveness for what you have just seen, let me tell you how I came across these two.

It happened a few months ago. I was about to put a load of clothes on our clothesline and as I opened the kitchen window to do so I noticed a black blob hanging from the line a few feet away. I slowly turned the line so that the blob was on top- and this is what I saw. I carefully pulled the line in for a closer look and expected the couple to fly away in shame, but they were pretty set in their task. It was at that point that I knew I had to try and get a picture. I ran for my camera, set it to manual, came back and they were still there!
Needless to say, I was able to get a few shots before the two finished their business and flew off. Those whom I showed the photo to encouraged me to send it into National Geographic. I really don't think it's going to get anywhere, have you seen some of the photographs on their site?? Wow. Well, I finally sent it in anyway. Each day a dozen photos are chosen for their 'Daily Dozen' and of these some are then chosen to be published. I will be checking their website daily to see if it's chosen and let you know. Even if it's not, I have really loved looking at some of the other photographs that others have submitted. Like I said.. WOW. Check it out here and click on  'your shot' to see their daily dozen.