I was reminded of this because of Ken Gilliland’s latest dragonfly venture…
When the girls were little, we lived by the Leeds and Liverpool canal close to a turning pool (a wider section where barges were turned!) which had reverted to nature with extensive reed beds. The far bank was inhabited by a pair of swans, and their little ones in season, so we used to take the girls, aged two and three, to sit on a bench and watch them and other birds, like coot’s, etc. This particular day, with the early evening sun behind us, we sat on the bench with Amanda watching mommy swan with her three cygnets in tow. Emma meanwhile, had decided to explore and look at the wild flowers growing along a stone wall. All was peaceful until we heard Emma yell, and turned to see an excited young lady running along the towpath as fast as her little legs could carry her. She arrived and started pulling at us telling us to, “Come quick! See!” Mom asked her what she’d found and she answered, “Some fairies! Come see!” before running back to peer intently into the reeds, practically bouncing with excitement. We joined her and soon spotted a cloud of brilliant green dragonflies hovering just above the reeds. I don’t know how long we stood there but the look on those kiddies faces was a pure joy to behold!
