Late this warm August afternoon, dragonflies quivered in the breeze, clinging like iridescent pennants to tall stems. I actually thought the word pennants as I crouched at the edge of the field, watching them. If I was still enough, they let me get very close. Later this evening, I discovered that they really are called Halloween Pennants (Celithemis eponina).Do you remember those trippy Jimi Hendrix lyrics from "Spanish Castle Magic?"
It's very far away
It takes about half a day
To get there, if we travel by my -- uh -- dragonfly ...
It takes about half a day
To get there, if we travel by my -- uh -- dragonfly ...
Whenever I hear that song, those lines make me laugh. A little bit of musical magic, a little bit of hallucinatory flight. Travel by dragonfly -- I guess that's what I was trying to do, getting so close I could see the patterns of veins on their diaphonous wings, looking deep into those gigantic mirrored eyes, imagining how the world looks reassembled into a mosaic. Maybe Jimi Hendrix had compound eyes.
Click on image to enlarge. Photo taken late this afternoon at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation.
4 comments:
An incredible photo Chris. The dragonfly almost looks human-or at least fairy-like. That you got so close too, without it zipping off. Beautiful work. Thanks for this dragon-fly-eye view of the world.
Thanks, Pam. I agree ... it does look like a fairy, or some hybrid ethereal creature. I thought so, too!
Chris,
haven't checked your blog in awhile. The dragon fly IS a treat to the eye. Fabulous photo. But taken so long ago. Don't you do this blog anymore?
Marlene! How are you? Yes, I've been steadily posting. You just visited a specific older post. Click on the title of the blog (my name) and you will be transported to the most recent posts. Then you can simply scroll down through previous posts. You can even travel back in time by then clicking on the words "older posts" at the bottom. Hope our paths intersect again soon!
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