We walked in the rain the other day, through the forest and out to the bluff. When the rain stopped the world sparkled, and this dragonfly stood out like some kind of gem.
(Update: The photo isn’t here anymore.)
By the way, do any of you happen to know what kind of dragonfly this is? I’d love to know. Thanks to Dr Weevil (see comments below) for identifying this dragonfly for me.
Can’t help you with the variety; just wanted to say I love dragonflies. They’re like little Viking ships in the air. Plus they eat mosquitoes. You can’t do better than that.
I remember the first dragonfly I ever saw. I must have been about five, and when this completely improbable insect buzzed by, I said “Dad! Look! A helicopter bug!” The response was laughter, followed by that indulgent smile I came to know so well.
But you see Viking ships, Lars, not helicopter bugs. That’s a whole better class of imagination there.
Definitely Libellula, most likely forensis (not enough spots for pulchella). Nice pictures (though not as nice as yours here) here. The entomological etymology is interesting. Libellula is a double diminutive. Latin libra = ‘pound’, so diminutive libella = ‘small coin, penny, farthing’ and double diminutive libellula (a modern coinage) = ‘little penny’.
Dr Weevil, you’ve saved the day. Thank you so much for this. You’ve solved a mystery for me, and the entomological etymology is fascinating indeed.
Now that I know what to call this dragonfly, I’ve found lots more about it on the web, including this rather marvellous photo at pbase.com.
Merci beaucoup.