Aperçu

In the early afternoon, I walked to the St Olaf Natural Lands after a week's absence. I was greeted, at the first black raspberry bushes by the first Meadowhawk of the year as well as the first ripe fruit of the year. The small, tawny dragonfly, a week or so away from its mature red color, flew high into the tree canopy when I moved closer. It's hard to explain to myself and to others my attachment to these dragonflies, but I was deeply happy to see one, the first in slightly more than seven months. I'd see two more on this walk.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe used the word Aperçu for observations of nature or other phenomena which gave the observer a sudden insight to the hidden and complex workings of the world. "All at once one sees things anew, looks at the world with new eyes and experiences a turning point in one's life." (from Goethe by Rüdiger Safranski)

Something like this still happens when I observe Meadowhawk dragonflies. Having studied them across many years, the familiarity and feeling I experience comes from an accumulation of many previous aperçus. I'm familiar with their appearance and their behaviors. I'm grateful for their existence.

Posted on June 25, 2017 03:49 AM by scottking