Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary, Goa
<p><strong>Damselfly:</strong> <em>“I was sitting beside a stream in the beautiful Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary, Goa, when I spotted this stream ruby damselfly laying its eggs. Holding my camera at the surface level of the water, I framed the insect with its reflection for this portrait. Damselflies that deposit their eggs freely in water lack the specialised ovipositor and simply dip their abdomen tip into the water and release their eggs. These eggs then sink to the bottom of the waterbody, where they continue to develop. Some species lay their eggs in a gelatinous mass that sticks to rocks or vegetation, while others have long filamentous strands that enable the eggs to be wrapped around aquatic plants that serve as anchors.”</em></p>
<p><strong>Vedwati Padwal-Birje</strong> is a commercial artist with a Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts, from the Sir J.J. Institute of Applied Art, Mumbai. She specialised in photography and is most interested in macro photography.</p>
