Aww... It’s a cute baby drake. It loves frolicking among the flowers.

And look! It has grown wings! It must be close to maturing.

Young drakes are relatively defenseless. They are born with relatively soft scales, which are shed and replaced with harder ones as the hatchling matures. Once a hatchling’s wings grow in, it marks the beginning of maturation. At this point they are often capable of hunting on their own.

This young drake likes to trap Japanese beetles under his wing for a snack. He likes the way their wings flutter against his wing, on his tongue, and in his mouth.

His snacking habits help plants survive infestations of the beetles, which means more blooming flowers for him and for bees to enjoy.