Summer insects (phenology)

[redbird]

As cattitude and I were walking home through the park last night, a firefly lit up next to us, about waist-high. A moment later, another, on my other side. I took a moment, chased on, and got it to land on my hand for a moment, though it flew off before lighting again.

This afternoon, I was standing on the lawn across the street (also in the park), watching the swallows swooping after mosquitos, and realized that one of the swooping animals I was watching was a dragonfly. Having identified one, I spotted a couple more: they're a lot smaller and lighter, and move a bit differently, but you notice the kind of thing you're looking for, and I've been watching the swallows for weeks. This is the first dragonfly I've seen in 2006, fittingly just after the solstice.

Comments

[kightp.livejournal.com]

Oh, I miss fireflies ...

Dragonflies, though, we have, and I spent half an hour yesterday on the bench outside my office watching two of the large sort swoop and soar in tandem. Do dragonflies do mating dances, do you suppose?

[pameladean]

They do. Some of them mate while flying; it's called a mating wheel, and amusingly enough in some species is heart-shaped.

P.

[kightp.livejournal.com]

Aw.

[pyrzqxgl.livejournal.com]

I've never seen fireflies in my life, alas -- even at an extended family member's house in Connecticut that supposedly otherwise had lots of them every night that time of year. But I was enjoying watching dragonflies at a park on Wednesday.