Virginia
July 2011
We’re on our way to Mount Rogers, the high point of Virginia. A minor traffic slowdown develops on the highway in front of us, who knows why. We crawl along. The vehicle we follow is a Mercedes Benz, painted one of those alcoholic colors that’s hard to define, like “champagne” or “whiskey beige.” I wonder if it’s the color or some other attractant that brings in the dragonfly who is flirting with the car. It circles and for the briefest instant touches down on the trunk hood. It circles again and for only an instant, touches the car again. And then again, and again and again. Something’s going on here. Maybe they’re dancing, the bug and the vehicle. The line of cars moves. The dragonfly stays with the Mercedes. Persistent little bugger.
I am the dragon,
The demon of skies.
Behold my bold
Enormous eyes.
I sweep
I swoop
I terrorize.
For lunch I munch
On flies and bees.
Mosquitoes with
My feet I seize.
I am the dragon:
Down on your knees!
— Douglas Florian
Some people, usually very young people, believe that dragonflies, or “devil’s darning needles” as they are sometimes called, will sew up your lips when given the chance. This is how they respond to lies. They sew your mouth shut. Lisa and I believe enthusiastically that if the dragonfly gets into our car with us, it will not sew up our lips. We’re pretty sure.
The flight we watch is impressive. Dragonflies have independent control of each of their four wings. They can rotate their wings to the front and to the rear allowing them to fly straight up and down, forward and backward, stop and hover and make hairpin turns at full speed or in slow motion. Balletic organic drones. When attacking, the dragonfly can arrange its wings and body in such a way that it appears stationary to its victim, so the poor critter doesn’t see it coming. Extraordinary aerialists.
Another attribute of dragonflies — you may not want to know this — is that a dragonfly nymph’s gills are inside its rectum. It will pull water into its anus where a gas exchange occurs. What I’m saying here is that it breathes through its tuchis. Then, it expels the water from its arse and propels itself forward. This would be a useful technique for us while climbing mountains.