The garden was alive with them yesterday evening and I wondered if it was to investigate the new gleaming patch of water which Mick our handy man left in the broken bird bath he has just repaired.
I discover they have two sets of wings which work separately so the front wings will go up whilst the rear ones go down.
The largest in in Costa Rica with a wing span of 7 1/2 inches although prehistoric ones were measured in feet.
Their main predators are birds and they themselves catch mosquities and gnats mid flight and devour then so they should be encouraged.
Their eyes had 30,000 lenses.
In Australia their speed had been clocked at 36 mph and in China they are called 'Old Glassy.'
All the garden furniture has been painted, the main gate has stopped dragging its feet and the fence down the steps has beeen anchored. The dodgy locks have been fixed and my arbour repaired. Now he's gone so we had a lie in today (8am) - to hopefully return for the many, many indoor jobs when the weather deteriorates.
Good news - our French son is coming over in August and Joy, Jackie and I have railway tickets to visit Margaret in Cheltenham for the day. We have everything crossed that we'll actually make it.
I don't advertise - in spite of blandishments - but along with Tesco's pork and apple sausages, whhich some of you knew about already their miniature Cornish Pasties make brilliant 'bits' with drinks.
23 comments:
I love dragonflies they're so pretty, I wonder if I should install a small pond to attract some, we have enough gnats here to keep a large community very well fed.
Great news about French son's visit and your train tickets
Eryl: as long as you haven't any little ones a small pond is a lovely idea. Meanwhile put a large basin of water out and see what happens. The birds love it in this weather.
OOh now they are the predators dammit!
I like the bright blue ones. Sounds as if your August will be great fun, I look forward to hearing about it.
Queenie: I do hope you are right about August;)
WV sequin.
I haven't seen any Drogonflies yet this year, OR mini Cornish Pasties! I'm off to Tesco later!
(We had Pork & Apple bangers last night!) :¬)
xxx
The difference between Dragonflies and Damselfies is the latter,when at rest fold their wings along their body, whereas the Dragonfly keeps them open.
I suppose now I need to google "Cornish Pasties" to see what they are, inasmuch here, "pasties" are something used by exotic dancers.
Sigh
The problems of intercultural communication.
Cheers.
Mapstew: I hope the bangers were 'caramelised';)
JohnG: oooh I'd never heard of damselflies but when you think about it its like young lady flies. How cute:)
Randall: you have to try them some how. I eschewed then until recently and they are real soul food and I love them.
I had caramelised pork & apple sausages last night - absolutely wonderful :)
Still haven't seen any dragonflies this year
Kim: MTL 'I thought there were two cold sausages left.'
Pat 'There were - I ate then.'
Did John make up that one or is it true?
A dragonfly's been sitting on our living-room wall for weeks. It's finally dawned on me that it's not alive.
Do they really eat mosquitoes? We should breed 'em here by the hundreds, then.
And yes, they're yummy cold too! :¬)
xxx
GG: I always believe what John says.
'It's finally dawned on me that it's not alive.'
Oh no! Do you mean that it is no more like John Cleese's parrot?
Mapstew: I would have to buy them in large quantities for them to survive to a cold state methinks:)
we haven't seen dragonflies in our garden for about two years, how lucky you are.
I haven't seen any yet this year. Odd. Lovely images of your garden.
Lom and Maggie: I shall feel blessed then;)
Hi Pat
How are you? On Sunday when I went on my photo adventure there were so many dragonflies at the Temple In The Sea, but they were very difficult for me to capture with my little camera. It's nice that you saw some this week as well.
A few weeks ago a friend encouraged me to notice animals and insects that cross my path as the universe says there are powerful messages to be received during the month of July.
This is what I read on Monday about Dragonfly Symbolism:
* Maturity and a Depth of character
The dragonfly, in almost every part of the world symbolizes change and change in the perspective of self realization; and the kind of change that has its source in mental and emotional maturity and the understanding of the deeper meaning of life.
The traditional association of Dragonflies with water also gives rise to this meaning to this amazing insect. The Dragonfly’s scurrying flight across water represents an act of going beyond what’s on the surface and looking into the deeper implications and aspects of life.
* Power and Poise
The dragonfly’s agile flight and its ability to move in all six directions exude a sense of power and poise - something that comes only with age and maturity.
The dragonfly can move at an amazing 45 miles an hour, hover like a helicopter fly backwards like a hummingbird, fly straight up, down and on either side. What is mind blowing is the fact that it can do this while flapping its wings a mere 30 times a minute while mosquitoes and houseflies need to flap their wings 600 and 1000 times a minute respectively.
The awe inspiring aspect is how the dragonfly accomplishes its objectives with utmost simplicity, effectiveness and well, if you look at proportions, with 20 times as much power in each of its wing strokes when compared to the other insects. The best part is that the dragonfly does it with elegance and grace that can be compared to a veteran ballet dancer. If this is not a brazen, lazy, overkill in terms of display of raw power, what is?
* Defeat of Self Created Illusions
The dragonfly exhibits iridescence both on its wings as well as on its body. Iridescence is the property of an object to show itself in different colors depending on the angle and polarization of light falling on it.
This property is seen and believed as the end of one’s self created illusions and a clear vision into the realities of life. The magical property of iridescence is also associated with the discovery of one’s own abilities by unmasking the real self and removing the doubts one casts on his/her own sense of identity. This again indirectly means self discovery and removal of inhibitions.
* Focus on living ‘IN’ the moment
The dragonfly normally lives most of its life as a nymph or an immature. It flies only for a fraction of its life and usually not more than a few months. This adult dragonfly does it all in these few months and leaves nothing to be desired. This style of life symbolizes and exemplifies the virtue of living IN the moment and living life to the fullest. By living in the moment you are aware of who you are, where you are, what you are doing, what you want, what you don’t and make informed choices on a moment-to-moment basis.
This ability lets you live your life without regrets like the great dragonfly.
* The opening of one’s eyes
The eyes of the dragonfly are one of the most amazing and awe inspiring sights. Given almost 80% of the insect’s brain power is dedicated to its sight and the fact that it can see in all 360 degrees around it, it symbolizes the uninhibited vision of the mind and the ability to see beyond the limitations of the human self. It also in a manner of speaking symbolizes a man/woman’s rising from materialism to be able to see beyond the mundane into the vastness that is really our Universe, and our own minds.
(maybe it's a message for you too)
:p Luna
Dragonflies are so Beautiful! And as we know, every creature has a reason for being---so it is good to know they do GOOD work! I never knew what each set of wings did---Very Very Interesting and they are Very Beautiful, too!
I hope the plans to visit Margaret come to fruition, my dear....And I know you are looking forwared to your French son visiting!
I've had quite a few dragonflies in my garden this year, no doubt, thanks to my pond. I keep finding the cocoons that they climb out of on the reeds and have so far found around 14. I used to get a lot more though :(
Enjoy your August :)
Luna: thank you for that - a comprehensive guide to dragonflies, which helps to illustrate what special creatures they are. I tried to find a poem about a dragonfly but failed - which surprises me.
I hope I do see beyond materialism - most of the time:)
Zed: I'm not surprised you have dragon flies as I always imagine you au fait with wildlife. I think maybe they know where they will be welcome.
It is so interesting that you would post about dragon flies just as I am noticing the many we have around here right now. I do not think that I have ever noticed their wide array of colors and size, etc., before now.
Naomi: I seem to have missed you.
with Margaret and our French son there is much to look forward to.
Grannie Annie: it must be something in the air:)
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