Stream Cruiser

 Dragonflies have amazing eyes. Their eyes are made up of up of thousands of facets called ommatidia. The ommatidia create a mosaic image for the dragonfly. This allows them to see almost 360 degrees. Some of the dragonflies with larger eyes can have up to 30,000 ommatidia. It is believed that they also have the ability to see into the ultraviolet spectrum the same as some birds.

These eyes belong to a stream cruiser dragonfly. They are one of only two members of the cruiser family found in Minnesota. They are usually found around slower moving water like lakes or slow moving streams. They usually emerge early in the summer. I photographed this stream cruiser in Afton State Park.