Damselfly: A Living Flash of Light

"He dried his wings: like gauze they grew;
Thro' crofts and pastures wet with dew
A living flash of light he flew."
From The Dragon-Fly, by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Thursday was just a delightful spring-into-summer day. It was warm and sunny, but not too hot; breezy, with little puffy white clouds. An all-around peach of a day - a day when we all felt delighted just to be alive and be part of it all!

"You can't just wander around all day with your lens cap off and a great big smile on your face," my husband admonished me, jokingly, the other day. And so I wonder: "Why not?"

I was able to bookend my day on Thursday with visits to two of my very most favorite spots in the world: Millbrook Marsh in the morning (where I saw two deer grazing along the edge of the vegetation, as well as several birds, of course), and the Arboretum after my work day was done.

As we move into June, the Arboretum really starts to show its colors. There are several shades of water lilies in bloom in the lily pond, and the grounds are just gorgeous with flowers. A veritable butterfly delight: something in every color and a flavor for every palate, even the most discerning.

The lily pond is probably my very favorite part of the Arboretum. (The pollinator garden is a close second, but it isn't in full swing yet this early in the season.)

I go there with my camera and end up taking a hundred or two hundred pics at a clip. I just can't resist the colors and light and shapes and reflections. (You can view a photo - haiku for four fish - from May 17, taken at the same lily pond, here.)

While I was there, I noticed this tiny blue damselfly sitting on a leaf in the lily pond. It was so small, I figured I wouldn't get a decent shot. Sometimes it's hard for me to tell when I'm on site whether the photos are coming out crisp. So I always take several, just in case.

When I got back to my computer, I was pleased to see that at least one of them had turned out pretty clearly. I am happy to share it with all of you.

By the way, here's an easy way to tell dragonflies from damselflies: dragonflies have thicker bodies and their wings extend to the side when they sit still, while damselflies have thinner bodies and their wings are held up above them when they sit. More cool info about dragonflies and damselflies is available here.

P.S. I've just posted several days' blips in a row. This one brings me up to date! :-) Please be sure to check out the other two I just posted:

Tuesday's spring lamb
Wednesday's oranges and lemons