Tactics from the Mushroom Hill Zone

Okay, this is a short one... Recently, I've been playing Sonic & Knuckles, and have had some trouble getting through the Mushroom Hill Zone, which is the first two zones of the game. In particular, I have found three creatures to be particularly irritating:

1) Dragonfly. This creature is rather hard to... uh, turn into a forest creature (which is what happens to baddies in Sonic games when you land on them) because of his metallic tail. You have to land square on its head or spin into its head straight-on. The best strategy for this creature is to avoid it or else lose your rings.

2) Weathervane Rooster. This one doesn't move, but it blows a powerful wind that pushes Sonic or Knuckles backwards. A terribly annoying creature, the best strategy is to jump on top of it before it gets a chance to blow.

3) Springy Mushroom. It takes two hits to convert this foul nuisance: one hit converts it to a metal springy beast, and another hit converts it into a forest creature. The best strategy is hit it once and then run for your life!

In Sonic games, I have found that it is sometimes best to run away from danger; just get your rings and keep going. Some enemies are hard to convert; and considering the spotty hit detection inherent to Sonic games, it is usually best to just run as fast as you can to the end of each zone. This reminds me of one of my favorite verses in the Bible:

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us..." (Hebrews 12:1).

Try thinking about that when you are liberating forest creatures from the evil clutches of Dr. Robotnik!