Dragon Flies and Praying Mantises

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Can you spot the dragonfly?
Recently I went for a hike up Mount Bukhan, just north of Seoul. While pausing for a rest, I noticed this dragon fly hiding in plain sight. This stirred some memories of a few notable insects from my childhood:
  • Dozens of dragonflies hover in the air, perhaps not voluntarily: fine thread glistens between their tails and the hand of their captor. I'm not sure if dragonflies could support the weight of thread like that, but this memory is so vivid...
  • A lone praying mantis stands atop the asphalt street near my house. Its menacing forearms and bright green color scare the local kids from their play. Some old ladies interrupt their game of cards to shoo it away with a broom. I have never seen a praying mantis in real life outside of this experience. Sometimes I wonder if I fabricated this memory after reading too much Ranger Rick...
These memories are quite fantastical, yet totally plausible. I still have tons of these little memory fragments from my former life in Korea. I hope to document as many of them as possible before they disappear!
Location: South Korea Seoul Gangbuk-gu Beon-dong 448-2 북한산드림캐슬

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