We went for a sweet walk alongside a stream yesterday. G and Carrie went swimming, I enjoyed the view while dipping my feet. When I looked down after some time of gazing around me, I saw a huge dragonfly.
It was bigger than any I have seen before. Maybe 3-4 inches in wing span. It was actually floating on the water - what I then realized meant it was drowning! I called Carrie over, and somehow her reflexes were working better than mine. She saw it move ever so slightly, indicating it was still alive, so she helped it out of the water on to my bag.
It took a long time to dry out. First just sitting there, barely moving, then using it's arms to "wash" it's head. Then it started to slowly flap it's wings, then it moved them very quickly but not very hard, so that they could dry out.
We were able to get a good look at it. It really was reminiscent of an airplane. When you looked into it's big green eyes, you saw that in fact those were just like "windows" or covers for the actual eye embedded deep within it's head.
It was amazing to be so close - eye to eye - to an insect, and for a split moment, begin to understand it.
Unfortunately, I did not have my camera... Something I'll regret the rest of my time on this earth.
