This was the first time I saw a pink or purple dragonfly with red eyes. How amazing! The common name is Crimson Dropwing (scientific name: Trithemis aurora).The Holmskioldia sanguinea has many common names Chinese Hat, Cup and Saucer, Parasol Flower and Mandarin Hat. In fact, the flower occurs in red and yellow too. Oh, I would love to lay my hands on them. I saw the red variety at Nong Nooch Botanic Gardens in January 2009.
So, does the flower really look like the china man's hat? Isn't it very disparaging to make such a reference since chinese people around the world hardly wear such hats anymore?
Some links are shown below:
