A Favourite Haunt

Laman Padi, or Rice Museum, is actually quite a fascinating place.

Here, you will find a museum showcasing traditional methods, tools and equipment used for padi planting, harvesting and processing of padi into rice, which is what we see sold in shops.  The museum itself is surrounded by "mini" padi fields with different varieties of rice being grown and in different stages of planting from freshly ploughed fields to newly sown seedlings to full grown padi stalks, waiting to be harvested.

This place is of interest to me because there are lots of ponds and large water areas.  A habitat for many species of dragonflies!  To add to that, it is only 5 minutes from home.  Sweet! 

As soon as you get to the edge of the ponds and padi fields, you will be greeted by many dragonflies zapping to the left and right of you all the time.  I have made many visits here and captured many images of different dragonfly species in this place.  These are mainly species common in open, degraded, disturbed habitats, agricultural lands and padi fields. 

Still, they are dragonflies.  

As with butterflies, birds and even fishes, dragonflies are also indicators of the state or health of the environment.  You see only certain species in disturbed areas.  You see other, sometimes rare, species in areas still in pristine conditions, still untouched and undisturbed.  That tells us a lot, isn't it?

This is the Crocothemis servilia of the family Libellulidae.  It is a common dragonfly species in this region.  There are lots of them at the Laman Padi.  A.G. Orr's Pocket Guide explains that this species is "...common in disturbed open habitats and agricultural land, especially padi."

The female of this species is differentiated by its light brown colour.  The male is red.  When this image was captured, it was midday.  And it certainly was a very hot day.

This female is in an obelisk position to avoid over-heating.  She is trying to cool down.

Here I am, looking at all these dragonflies from up close for the first time, through my "camera lens".  Even the most common dragonfly is a thing of beauty!

It gives me an adrenaline rush each time.