Saturday, February 19, 2011

Collaboration with Gretchen

Dragonfly Symbiosis

A Story for Gretchen

Once upon a time, there was a girl who loved to go out in the woods and meditate. One of her favorite places to sit in ZaZen was Lycopodium Knoll, a small rise in the sandy woods above Blue Heron Lagoon. The knoll was covered with lycopodia, and the girl would sit with her back to a red maple and her middle finger touching her thumb and her hands resting on her knees. And sit.

One day, however, her serenity was disturbed by deerfly. The deerflies buzzed nosily around and kept landing on the girl’s arms and shoulders. They were trying to bite her.

Suddenly, there was a much larger, louder buzzing and a huge insect landed on her knee. In its mandibles was a deer fly. The dragonfly noisily chomped down the deerfly and a moment later, zipped out and snagged another. When it had eaten that one, it snagged a third, and continued until it had eaten the entire platoon

Then the dragonfly sat calmly on the girl’s knee waiting. Each time another deerfly or mosquito homed in on the girl, the dragonfly captured it and ate it. The girl acted as a food magnet for the dragonfly and the dragonfly protected the girl from insect bites. And this is a true story. Mary Stebbins Taitt (Click image to view larger.)

8 comments:

Ellen said...

OMG! I just did the life cycle of a frog! Great minds think alike!!

Mary Stebbins Taitt said...

I was just admiring your life cycle of a frog! Cool piece!!!!

ballookey said...

Aw, so cute! I love the little tree branches and spring leaves. It ties in with Gretchen's fine cobweb-like pattern.

Mary Stebbins Taitt said...

Thanks for noticing--that was what I was trying to do. :-D

roma said...

Your piece works so well with Gretchen's, and your story is sweet. I love the idea of dragonfly as protector--they are named for the dragon, after all.

Gretchen said...

This is great Mary!! Nice story too! Thank you :)

Mary Stebbins Taitt said...

Thanks, Gretchen, :-D

I'm afraid my work isn't quite up to your nice stylized dragonfly.

Mary Stebbins Taitt said...

Thank you, Roma! :-D YAY!

The story is a true one. And special to me.

THANKS! :-D