First dragonhunter

For the past couple of weeks, I've been scanning the millpond skies for the arrival of one particular species of dragonfly. Hagenius brevistylus, a.k.a. the Dragonhunter, is a large member of the Clubtail clan, so-called because, well, most of them have a prominent knob at the end of their abdomens. I don't know whether this has any particular function, but all of the clubtails have this feature to a greater or lesser degree. The Dragonhunter's club is fairly modest, but the rest of the insect is anything but shy and retiring. Dragonhunters are the fiercest creatures in the odonate sky and their main prey is other dragonflies, both large and small. They're agile and strong, and to watch one succeed is both thrilling and sobering; the observer is definitely glad that dragonflies are, relative to us, small. This afternoon I spotted the first H. brevistylus, but it wasn't where I expected to find it. This one stopped by for a brief rest on an old garden bench in my backyard. I'd never seen Dragonhunters here before, but it didn't stay. I'm guessing that I know where it was headed. Let terror now reign at the millpond.