One evening recently we were out in the garden with the dogs before retiring for the night, and we noticed a strange exodus occurring around the margins of the pond... well over a dozen dragonfly larvae were clambouring laboriously from the green depths, out into the dusk; finding themselves in an entirely new and unfamiliar environment. The underside of a leaf, or perhaps a stem of an iris was to be the scene of a remarkable transformation, undertaken during the hours of darkness, as each of these little creatures struggled to escape the confines of the hard, armoured casing that had protected it for so long.
In the morning, when I crept out to see, the early rays of sunlight glittered and shimmered from a myriad gossamer wings held out to dry before, one by one, these delicate, ethereal creatures launched themselves into the world to explore their new capabilities; just discovered, and which had been there all along. Who would think, looking at the strange, dry, empty cases still clinging to the leaves and stems around the pond, that within lay such breathtaking beauty and elegance?
