Dragonfly Summer

     Yesterday, as I crunched through the dry grass to water the tomato, something caught my eye - then another, and another.  There, dozens of dragonflies were darting back and forth underneath the privacy fence that hides a jungle of weeds from our view, (we have enough of a jungle in our own front landscape).
     There were quick small ones, yellow with black stripes, patrolling their area, back and forth over the same patch of grass before darting over to patrol another uncovered patch of brown. 
     There were heavy dark Dragonflies,  pondering their paths, flying an elaborate swooping pattern, flying out to the edges of the group, swooping up and swing back around into the shade.  
     Although they were surprisingly quiet, there was a frenzied air about them.  They looked like they were searching for water that had not been there for years, a farm pond, or slow stream, that had long since been dozed in.  I sat against the fence, and they flew around me, not deigning to notice that I existed.  Nothing could distract them from their search.  
     After watching them for a while, I went inside and searched the internet for someone else who had witnessed such a wonderful thing.  There were plenty, and I found that these fliers were not looking for water, but hunting.  This made sense because I was having flying ants on my tomato and the dragon flies eat other small flying creatures.
     I went back outside and viewed them with a new sense of adventure.  These noble bugs were not looking for water, they were on an expedition.  They were searching for food, hunting down flying insects.  They are aptly named.  I imagined these insects from the view of a gnat.  
    Imagine a group of these huge beasts, farther than you can see, swooping down upon you.  These terrible jewel-like creatures, their giant eyes watching everything.  They can turn with incredible agility, their four wings beating the air in a blur, framing them in a halo of wind.  They can eat you in one bite.  They travel in groups, the small quick ones, tigers of the air, darting back and forth, blocking every way out, the large ones looking for stragglers that manage to escape the winged net, and finishing them with startling accuracy.  
     I stayed for a long time among the dragonflies, watching them.  I tried to take a few pictures but gave up. You can't take a picture of a flock of hunting dragonflies and capture any of the beauty and grace that exists there.  Something are not meant to be photographed, or at least not by me.