When Dragons Fly....

Is there an insect any more gorgeous than the dragonfly? Sure, there may be some that are more colourful, but from a pure design standpoint, the dragonfly is spectacular. Nothing else flies like them, right? Have you watched a butterfly fly...it's like a drunk teenager that forgot to take its Ritalin. The dragonfly, in contrast, moves with military precision (some restrictions apply: see HMCS Whitehorse during 'happy hour' for details).

I also appreciate that dragonflies occasionally land on my clothing. You can even sometimes coax them to land on your hand. They make great pets for a few fleeting seconds.

A few weeks ago Wendy and I were floating on the lake in our inflatable pleasure yacht. As we were returning to shore I noticed something struggling on the surface of the lake. We paddled back out and found a dragonfly that had somehow landed upside down on the water. The adhesive quality of water combined with the nature of the dragonfly's wings put this particular dragonfly in great peril (translation: fishy snacks). We rescued the dragonfly and felt good about it. We wouldn't have done that for a horsefly! I wouldn't have done that for a horse, either. Or a Sheltie (hehe).

Once, while achored in Gagetown Creek, Wendy and I watched a few thousand dragonflies in the air at once. That was fifteen years ago but it feels like yesterday. Spectacularly memorable.

Do you know much about dragonflies? I don't. If you'd like to learn more, follow the link below to the Smithsonian's web site. Here you'll find a short article entitled '14 Fun Facts About Dragonflies'. It's quite interesting and you might just sweep the 'flying dragons' category on Jeopardy! someday.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/14-fun-facts-about-dragonflies-96882693/