She worried about the camera, at first.
But quickly gained confidence.
Publication note: My poem “Dragonfly” appears in Issue 11 of Victorian Violet Journal, which launched yesterday.
Blue Dasher
Hot Weather and Dragonflies
The forecast says cooler weather is on the way, along with rain. I’m ready for a respite from the heat, but I’m not sure the dragonflies agree.
The first one is a Black Saddlebags dragonfly. The second is a Blue Dasher.
Wings in the Yard
We bought this speedwell because it was advertised to attract butterflies. I haven’t seen any butterflies on it, but it draws a lot of wasps.
The wasps chase everything away from the speedwell’s bed, but Blue Dasher dragonflies patrol all the other beds.
And, as predicted, Halloween Pennants have begun to arrive.
The bird feeders get less traffic than the flower beds, but not by much. Doves are our most frequent diners. And the hungriest. This one ate so much it could barely fly.
Doves are the most numerous birds in the yard, but the blue jay fledglings are the loudest.
However, their cries cannot compete with the Blue Angels, who are in town for a weekend airshow. The show’s flight path takes them right over our yard…
Birds and Dragonflies
The blue jay babies are fledged, but they haven’t started foraging on their own. They continue to rely on their parents for food. (More about the blue jays here, here, and here.) While the adults flit back and forth, the babies explore the densest parts of our wax myrtle (where I can’t get a picture of them), exercising their voices and wings. There are at least three fledglings, possibly four, though it sounds like there might be a dozen when they shriek in unison.
During occasional blue jay lulls, when the parents forage in other yards (or simply take a break from their raucous brood), doves and sparrows share a turn at the feeder.
The doves gulp seed in greedy excess, then settle on nearby perches to preen and stretch as they digest their meals.
Along with birds, the yard is filling with dragonflies. Eastern Pondhawks have joined last week’s Blue Dashers.
I’ve also seen two or three species I can’t identify, like this golden beauty. (My best guess is a female Needham’s Skimmer. Can anyone confirm or correct that ID?)
Today was hot and humid, just right for June. I mowed through the heat, then sat on the deck to enjoy a fitful breeze stirred by approaching storms. I was tempted, for a moment, to call the yard “mine”. But a burst of blue jay racket reminded me that it isn’t mine at all.
Monday, May 28
A moth, a dragonfly, and a new publication. Little things, yes, but most days are made of little things.
Publication note: My poem “The Congresswoman’s Brain” was published on vox poetica’s today’s words page over the weekend. It is now on the poemblog. Many thanks to editor Annmarie Lockhart!
Rae Spencer 