Joann Merritt's Essays

Dragonflies
September, 1966

At sundown one July evening, our son John, who lives in west Midland County, witnessed a phenomenal number of dragonflies crossing his acreage. The insects flew telephone pole high in a southwesterly direction at the approximate rate of 100 per minute for the ten minutes he watched. When I told Burr Williams of this observation, he said he had read of a dragonfly migration reported by birders on the northeast coast but had no idea it could happen here in Midland. He says that’s probably what John observed, with the Green Darner being a possible species, although it was too dark to discern color.

One August morning before the rains began, Don and I took our daily walk at I-20 Pond. Birds, butterflies and flowers were scarce but flights of dragonflies provided enjoyment for the day. With gossamer wings glistening in the sun their intricate wing and body patterns were displayed to perfection when viewed through my close focus binocular. Dragonflies are surely nature’s fairies of the insect world, and as such Fairyflies seems to be a more appropriate name. Unless, of course, you are one of the insects being caught and eaten by one of them.

Last December’s Phalarope contained an article on dragonflies by Burr. I hope the Plano professor he mentioned completes his field guide soon - can you imagine trying to learn the birds without a field guide? I thought I would be able to accurately write a description of the dozen or so dragonfly species that I observed but alas, my memory is as fragile as their wings. However, I have a beautiful memory of the morning spent observing these lovely beings.