Dragonflies are Free

Hey you! Yeah, you. Look over here. Watch me closely. IÕve got a show for you.

There it is! I spot it straight ahead. I zero in on my target. Lowering my head, I dive, my shimmering, iridescent double wings smoothly transporting me to my chosen target, a fat, juicy mosquito. I spot another, then another, and another. TheyÕre everywhere. I canÕt get enough of them.

CREATOR: gd-jpeg v1.0 (using IJG JPEG v62), quality = 59
[i]

 

I scoop them up in mid-air by making a basket shape out of my legs to hold them captive untilÉ Chomp! Chomp! Chomp! Three down and thousands to go! This is a perfect hunting day for me. I can zigzag back and forth, up and down. I can even fly backwards and fly in place. IÕm a remarkable insect. I am so fast that most of my prey can never escape me. I can move at speeds Òup to thirty-six miles per hour.Ó [ii]

See that picture above? ThatÕs me! You can call me Dray. I am a magnificent dragonfly.  I do a great service for humans by dining on ruthless, biting mosquitos. TheyÕre delicious! I donÕt just eat mosquitos though. IÕve been known to eat flies, bees or butterflies. What can I say? ItÕs the survival of the fittest. I can scarf down as much food as I weigh in less than an hour. Humans would have to eat at least one hundred pounds of food at one time to be like me. [iii]

All of that food makes me very strong for my small size. But I wasnÕt always small. My species has been on this earth for more than three hundred million years, making us one of the oldest insects on earth. We had wingspans of over two feet and were, as we are now, carnivorous. The photo below is a fossil of one of my ancestors. It is called Meganeura and thrived in the late Carboniferous to the early Permian period. The biggest insect ever was called the ÒProtodonataÉ[they] were prehistoric dragonflies that rules the skies during the Carboniferous period. They are much the same as dragonflies are today, but their Òwings reached thirty inches from tip to tip!Ó[iv]

File source: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Meganeuradae.jpg[v]

Another fabulous specimen of my ancestors is a fossil of a wing that was found in Oklahoma, right near my home in the United States. Here, let me and my buddy, Zig, hold this up so you can see it better. Look down. Checkout that wingspan!

[vi]

 

Did you know that four hundred-fifty out of the five thousand species of dragonflies are found right her in the USA? Now thatÕs a lot of dragonflies. We donÕt all live in one place though and not all of the species in the USA are found in each state. We migrate too, but we all live close to water.

Water is truly the life source for us. My mom laid the eggs for my siblings and I in a lovely pond. We usually hatch after about five days. ThatÕs much better than the nine months that humans have to wait. DonÕt you think?

[vii] Laying Eggs

After we hatch we are called nymphs. We are aquatic and live under the water. We eat every scrumptious little bite of whatever moves in the water, even tiny little fish. WeÕre really fast moving underwater too. Ok, so weÕre not really attractive as nymphs. I get it. Still, I bet we can do something that most other aquatic animals canÕt do. We can leave the water and go find food on the dry land for short periods of time. Uh-huh! ThatÕs right!

[viii] Nymph

Some of us live in the water for up to four years, but most of us only stay there for a few months before we climb up a plant stalk and transform into adult dragonflies. Our metamorphosis rivals even the beautiful butterfly. Different species have different colors, but we continue to change color as we get older. A lot of that has to do with protecting ourselves from predators like frogs, fish, and birds. We can camouflage to blend with our environments if necessary. ItÕs a good thing we can blend because we donÕt see very well, even though we have about thirty thousand lenses on our eyes. I still canÕt figure that one out. I guess we canÕt have everything.

IÕm an adult, as you can tell. IÕve been searching for my perfect mate. ThatÕs one of our jobs as dragonflies. We must procreate to keep our species alive. Honestly, thatÕs how weÕve survived three hundred million years. My friend, Zig, who held up the fossil with me earlier, keeps saying IÕm too picky about finding the right girl, but I know sheÕs out there. And I know I need to find her quick. You humans have a saying, ÒOnly the good die young.Ó I suppose you could say that about me.

 I only have a two to six month life expectancy from the time I am transformed into this marvelously brilliant dragonfly. So, IÕm going on a search for the perfect dragonfly, but before I go, let me introduce you to Valerie. I am her spirit animal and sheÕs going to tell you some of the things sheÕs learned from me since weÕve been together. Be kind to each other. BYE!

 

[ix]

Well, that was interesting. I hope youÕve all enjoyed spending time with Dray. IsnÕt he stunning? IÕve been learning so much from him. When I first learned about spirit animals, I was like many other people whoÕve just walked through life unaware of what can be learned from animals and insects. Sure, I remember a childhood story about an ant that was able to move a rubber tree plant because of his persistence and teamwork, but I never tried to find an spirit animal that spoke directly to me. Through this study, IÕve learned that spirit animals Òempower us and protect us. Their energies can be used to help heal, inspire, and grow.Ó [x] IÕve already learned so much and IÕm just beginning to see all the remarkable abilities of the dragonfly.

 First of all, dragonflies are magical. They make me think I am capable of things I never dreamed possible. They are determined and unrelenting in their pursuit of their food source. I am applying that drive to my quest for my college degrees. My degrees are the food that will nourish my soul for the rest of my life. Thirty years in the making, I will never give up on this dream, just like the dragonfly wonÕt give up his pursuit of food.

            Secondly, dragonflies are very strong and amazingly agile. They flit speedily in all different directions. These movements protect them from predators who might do them harm. By watching dragonfly movements, I am learning that I may need to make adjustments in direction from time to time to keep myself safe from predators, like illness and stress or even toxic people.

            On the other hand, dragonflies can fly in place too. When they land on a branch by the water, they seem to take in everything around them. They show no fear as they soak up the sun and the beauty of the landscape. Their perfect stillness is mesmerizing. This teaches me to be still, to gaze into the calming waters and find peace.  It teaches me to listen in silence and learn from my surroundings, to look deeper into natureÕs bounty. I have no fear when I am at peace.

 My spirit dragonfly also teaches me to observe the four glimmering, opalescent wings that keep him aloft and moving. The sunlight catches the wings in a dazzling kaleidoscope of color, a little blue, then green, then purple, but always gossamer sheer. This reminds me to be transparent in my daily life, to live honorably and with compassion for others. It also teaches me to make adjustments in my thought processes, to be open minded to others ideas, whether those ideas are blue like mine, or green like someone elseÕs, or a brilliant shade of purple. There is room for everyoneÕs ideas and opinions even if we donÕt agree. We can always show respect.

Furthermore, because my spirit animal lives for such a short period of time, itÕs important for me to fill my life, like they do, with meaningful events. Dragonflies live full lives, no matter how short their time on Earth is. They are born, grow up, find a mate, have a family and complete an entire life cycle before they die. This prompts me to follow the famous poem written by S. H. Payer: ÒLive everyday to the fullest. Get the most from each hour, each day, each age of your life. Then you can look forward with confidence and back without regret.Ó[xi]  By applying these principles to my own life, I will leave a legacy of love and compassion and kindness to my friends, family, and others I meet along my way.

Finally, itÕs important to look at my dragonflyÕs eyes. There are thirty thousand lenses and they have 360 degree vision. My dragonflyÕs eyes remind me to not just look at myself, but to regard what is going on with other people around me. I am not the center of the Universe. I am only a tiny part of creation and I have an obligation to watch out for others. I am a caretaker. My goal is to reach out to others who need a hand, to be available when someone calls and to be a safeguard for those in danger. I must always remember that we are all GodÕs children. The same Hand of Love creates all our friends and our enemies.

I know now that Òthe animal chooses the personÓ [xii] and IÕm so thankful that the dragonfly has chosen me. I will do my best to honor that connection. I will strive to be an example of the dragonflyÕs tenacity, full life, transparency, and inner beauty. I am not afraid of the future. Like my spirit animal, the dragonfly, I am learning to fly free.

 

 

             

 



[i]  Christopher Martin, Dragonfly Showdown. 2012. Private Collection. http://chrismartinphotograph y.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/dragonfly-showdown-c2a9-christopher-martin-3986-2.jpg

 

[ii] http:www.Dragonfly-Site.com

 

[iii] ibid

 

[iv] Cathy Camper, Bugs Before Time: Prehistoric Insects and Their Relatives, 2002.pg. 16. Simon and Schuster, New York. Print. September 27, 2012

 

[v] Ed Yong, Giant Insects Disappeared Thanks to Falling Oxygen Levels and Agile Birds. Jun 4, 2012. Discovery Magazine Online. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com /notrocketscience/2012/06/04/giant-insects-disappeared-thanks-to-falling-oxygen-levels-and-agile-birds/ Discovery Magazine Online. September 12, 2012

 

[vi] Harvard Magazine Online, Treasure: DRAGONfly: The largest complete insect wing ever found. Nov-Dec 2007. http://harvardmagazine.com/2007/11#treasure. September 26, 2012

 

[vii] http:www.Dragonfly-site.com

 

[viii] ibid

 

[ix] Christopher Martin, Dragonfly Showdown. 2012. Private Collection.

 

[x] Ted Andrews, "Animal Speak," Animal Humanities Course Anthology vol. 1 (Austin, Texas: Jerome Bump, 2011), 458.

 

[xi] S.H. Payer, ÒLive Each Day to the Fullest.Ó n.d. http//:Darmouth.org. September 26, 2012

 

 

 

[xii] Ted Andrews, "Animal Speak," Animal Humanities Course Anthology vol. 1 (Austin, Texas: Jerome Bump, 2011), 456.