This pondhawk moved into the corner iris bed today, defending its claim against all intruders. It even challenged the lawnmower, darting and swooping around the noisy engine.
The irises’ blue dashers retreated into other beds, seemingly content with the new order of things.
As I wandered the yard with my camera, a cool breeze fell out of these clouds. A short time later, the breeze whipped into indecisive gusts, some lashing north to south, others tumbling west to east.
I lingered as long as I dared, but retreated when lightning began to flicker from cloud to cloud, rolling thunder into the scene.
I wonder where dragonflies go, during such weather? Maybe they stay on their perches, letting the rain wash their wings…
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.
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.
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…
Rae Spencer 