At first I thought it was love, but looking closer I realized that Tina Turner was right—what’s love got to do with it. Both the predator and the prey in what appears to be an act of cannibalism look to be Big Bluet damselflies (Enallagma durum), which I spotted this past Sunday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
The pale coloration of the victim suggests to me that it is newly-emerged, a phase referred to as “teneral.” At this stage of development, dragonflies and damselflies are relatively immobile as their bodies and wings are transforming and are particularly vulnerable.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Good on you Mike for showing the realities of life in the wild. The loss of a newly emerged life made me sad but that’s the way it is and I really enjoyed the way you wrote about it. Thank you!
Thanks. As you probably have noticed, I enjoy expressing myself in the words of my postings as well as in the photos themselves. Nature can be harsh, but all of the different creatures have to live and life can be pretty brutal at times.
Great photo. Song stuck, but great photo.
I like the song, so it’s ok by me for it to get stuck. It’s more irritating when a tune I can’t stand won’t leave my head.