Roadside attractions consisting of a “World’s Largest X” are popular in Alberta. Some people do a thing where they try to collect all of them. My hometown has a baseball bat. 

 

I saw this thing probably once or twice as a kid, when my family must have pulled off the Yellowhead. Then, a few years ago, my summer job had me working on the pipeline right-of-way near Wabamun, and we ate lunch by the giant dragonfly one day. 

 

Fact: Dragonflies are the most effective predators in the animal kingdom. They have a 95% success rate when hunting. For contrast, a really prolific tiger has maybe a 10% success rate. Lions sometimes break 15%. A great white shark has a 40-55% success rate. 

 

As I chewed my gas station sandwich, baked to palatability by a long morning on the work truck’s dash, I contemplated how fucking terrifying dragonflies would be if they were actually this big. 95% success rate- your odds would be orders of magnitude better against a lion. 

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Went: Summer 2024

 

Warnings/Notes: Nightmare inducing if you think about it too hard. 

 

Who is it For: People who like seeing big things, or people who are really into dragonflies. 

 

Shout outs nearby: Edson antique shop and used bookstore.