Home But Never Alone

Those who dwell among the beauties of the earth . . . are never alone or weary of life.
                                                                                                           - Rachel Carson

After finding a dragonfly laying eggs in our mini-river a few weeks ago, I set out to see if the nymphs had hatched. I was greeted by the plunking sound of Rio Grande Leopard Frogs leaping off the rocks and into the water. And then, floating in the deepest pool, I discovered a mass of frog eggs. Nearby, delicate damselflies, called Kiowa dancers, landed on warm, exposed rocks and snails scraped layers of algae from submerged rocks. It was a busy morning, and I felt elated that our newest habitat was teeming with life.

As I lay on my stomach trying to get the best shot of a damselfly, something caught my eye. At first I thought it was a pair of damselflies mating. But, as I continued to watch, I noticed the female was twitching and moving her abdomen around the vegetation. When a female deposits her eggs, the male stands guard. She then uses a sword-like appendage to slice through the vegetation and lay her eggs. And I witnessed it! As always, I was rewarded for paying attention. Nature never ceases to amaze me.