After Common Green Darner dragonflies mate, the male (with the blue abdomen) continues to grip the head of the female (with the reddish-brown abdomen), and together, they fly to a body of water with aquatic vegetation.  Here, the female bends her sharp ovipositor into the water and makes incisions into plant stems and leaves, where she carefully lays her eggs. After about a week, the eggs will hatch into nymphs. The vegetation will provide a place for the young to live and hunt as they mature.

“There must be a beginning of any great matter, but the continuing unto the end until it is thoroughly finished yields the true glory.” ~Francis Drake