Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Here be dragons...

 Four-spotted Skimmer
 (Libellula quadrimaculata)

 Another lovely summer spent chasing airborne dragons beckons...

The air over the Two Hundred Acre Wood was filled with dragonflies buzzing erratically to and fro yesterday as they dined on gnats, deerflies and mosquitoes with gusto. As is usually the case here at the end of May, many of the happy fliers were these skimmers with a light sprinkling of baskettails, darners, dashers and pondhawks.

This specimen was probably female, but the males and females of this lovely dragon are similar and difficult to sort out. The sole differences seem to be the presence of a flange on the S8 segment (female) and a slight grayish bloom on the abdomen of an adult male.

For all the rain, the clouds, the thunder and the lightening, the presence of so many winged dragons is a harbinger of high summer, of long blue days, technicolor sunrises and early mornings spent in the garden, of purple summer evenings spent on the deck with a good book and a tall glass of tea.  Let it be, please - may it be so and soon.

5 comments:

Angie said...

How can something so tiny, so ephemeral give such delight and joy---I want to be with them...

the wild magnolia said...

Beautiful macro dragon....beyond this place, there be dragons!

May it be as you wish, soon.

Happy week!

Kerri Farley said...

AWESOME capture!

One Woman's Journey - a journal being written from Woodhaven - her cottage in the woods. said...

It will happen - summer has arrived in the woods.
Only no time on deck with book and tea - continual grooming of garden at the moment ...

the spirit that moves me said...

This is spectacular. What amazing creatures.