On my almost daily water-collecting trips at a gravelly shallow on the Froome, I have seen damselflies. Some as delicate as needles others relatively substantial, in small & large numbers. They are also found on the now magnificently large butterbur leaves in the church yard. What has struck me most strongly is the vivid metallic-ness of their bodies. Colours & textures not seen in mammals, emphasising their difference & alieness to us warm-bloods. To my mind the organism that comes closest in these qualities is the buttercup (excluding of course other insects). A field of buttercups seen close-up or at small remove reflect sunlight off their petals as a hard, shiny gold. A regular peacock visitor is currently sporting breeding plumage that reflects the light & has a "sheen" but it lacks the metal-ness of the damselflies - the feathers looks warm not cold, soft not hard - though the klaxon screech of the male does certainly have a metallic edge to it!
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The church site is beautiful at the present - the hawthorns are in full blossom, petals drift down like a summer snow. On a sunny day, walking past the butterbur sends up a cloud of damselflies & in the warm afternoon air, mayflies bob up & down - destined to eventually rain on the ground at the end of their brief lives.
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Haiku - a Sunny June day
Sunshine, big green leaves,
iridescent wings alight,
moments of joy,
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I'm currently dipping into the excellent "Notes from Walnut Tree Farm" by Roger Deakin & was delighted to find that he has an explanation of why familiar British flora & fauna often trigger a comparison with an exotic counterpart. His entry for 23rd April reads "..as I looked up at the hawthorn all covered in ivy that grows on the common just outside the house, I thought of a date palm and of how we often project the identities of exotic plants or animals on our own native species as a way of expressing their newness & magic." I like that explanation.
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It's still peak vegetable planting season at the church site & a rabbit/badger-proof fence it in the process of being built around the plot. I'm beginning to feel very earthed & routed to the site - perhaps this is what the Benedictines mean by their vow of Stability (to remain in the same monastery). An odd feeling for someone who has moved a lot - perhaps the move to the church site will be my last major move - what an odd thought.
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Flickr stas1963 (butterbur) : dragonflysoc.org.uk for Beautiful Damoiselle.
