As I begin my final preparations for hitting the road for my long drive home, it somehow seemed appropriate to post this image of a Wandering Glider dragonfly (Pantala flavescens) that I spotted on Sunday in Bastrop, Texas. Wandering Gliders, also know as Globe Skimmers or Globe Wanderers, are considered to be the most widespread dragonfly on the planet, with a good population on every continent except Antarctica, although they are rare in Europe, according to Wikipedia.
My drive will be a bit over 1500 miles (2414 km), which sounds like a long distance to travel. However, Wandering Gliders “make an annual multigenerational journey of some 18,000 km (about 11,200 miles); to complete the migration, individual Globe Skimmers fly more than 6,000 km (3,730 miles)—one of the farthest known migrations of all insect species,” according to Wikipedia. Yikes!
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Michael, have a safe trip home and thanks for sharing your great photos and details of Texas dragon and damselflies.
Thanks, Donald.
I am jealous you found one perched!
Wonderful photograph, Mike. Safe journey home.
Animal migrations are staggering. Whether insects, birds or whales you wonder where they get their resilience and compass!
What a beauty! Have a safe and enjoyable journey.
I’ve seen these dragonflies in Mississippi. They don’t like to hold still.
That is absolutely the case, Andrew. Most of the times when I see them, they are flying overhead. I have to be really lucky to see one land and to be in a position to capture a shot when they are perched.
Well those numbers sure makes Texas seem like it is around the corner.
Thank you for sharing. Sounds interesting 😃. Beautiful photo indeed