Ruth Ann Allaire

Dragonflies In a Japanese Garden Pool Ruth Ann Allaire

Dragonflies and damsel flies are, and seem to have always been, objects of curiosity. Not only are they beautiful, colorful and fascinating, they appear in many places in the world. In many civilizations people see them as symbols of death, near death, survival, transformation, change and beauty. Whether one studies them scientifically or as a novice captured by their beauty, fragility, velocity or ferocity, they provide an endless area for interest and study. This series of haiku is intended to mention a few of their characteristics and merely look at the many, many ways to depict their life styles . Trying to capture a dragonfly has intrigued many a child and observing the behavior of these beautiful insects has occupied many hours of adult time. Four words you might not be familiar with: Odonata, the order in the Class Insecta to which dragon and damsel flies belong. Anisoptera, the suborder to which the dragonflies belong and ovipositor the organ in females which lays the eggs. Ommatidia means compound eye. Otherwise the vocabulary should be familiar