For the Dragons of the Air

 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 this past long weekend, buzzing erratically to and fro as they dined on gnats, deerflies and mosquitoes with gusto. As is usually the case here near the end of May, many of the happy fliers were skimmers with a light sprinkling of baskettails, darners, dashers and pondhawks.

This specimen was probably female, but the male and female genders of this lovely flier 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 and merry dragons is a harbinger of high summer, long blue days, technicolor sunrises and early mornings spent in the garden, purple summer evenings spent on the deck with a good book and a tall glass of iced tea.  Let it be, please - may it be so and soon.