I haven't seen a dragonfly in quite some time. There’s isn’t much open water nearby for the aquatic stage of their life. And who could blame them? This is a desert after all. What water there is is often man-made. Pools and fish ponds safely curated in the backyards of homes. There is a marsh, albeit a small way, some miles away. Possibly it was born there, and somehow managed to fly all the way to this part of the valley. My surprise and delight at finding an iridescent orange one living in my parents yard is a quiet joy.
