A Dragon in Sheep’s Clothing

I just got home from shopping for art supplies for the watercolor class that starts in a couple of weeks. When I opened my glass door, a dragonfly few up – right into my face! With one hand on the door handle and one hand holding plastic shopping bags, I had nothing to swat with — although I didn’t want to swat a dragonfly anyway.

So I blew him instead. So within one second of opening my door, I’m standing there huffing and puffing to get this dragonfly out of my face.

I know I was looking at him cross-eyed, because he was just a blur in front of my nose. He backed off, and suddenly settled on my arm, which was still stretched out with my hand on the door handle. I watched him twitch his wings lower and lower, the way dragonflies do when they sit down to bask.

I let go of the door and sank to my knees to set the grocery bags down, hoping to get my cell phone out to take a photo.

But he was too quick, and suddenly took off again. He kind of bumped up against the siding a few times, looking for something to land on. I stood there with my arm out for a couple of seconds. I wonder what the neighbors thought — I probably looked like either I was suddenly feeling theatrical, or I was calling a falcon back to my wrist.

Well anyway. It didn’t take long and he flew away completely. This all happened in about one minute.

While he was on my arm, I got a good close look at the little “combs” on his feet, and at his iridescent eyes. His body was dark grey, I think, and there were was a brown spot and black spot on each wing. Kinda like the photo at right, but without the white spots and a thinner body.

I’m used to fat blue and green dragonflies around here, but he was smaller. I know he wasn’t a damselfly, though. Damselflies fold their wings back, but dragonflies spread them out to the sides.

Anyway, it was really cool.