Random Act of Metaphor: A Skimming Bluet in Unpredictable May

Hmmm, will resiliencewin out against the odds in the fight for survival?

I have been on vacationthis last week. In years past, I would spend this week chasing after birds –the many brightly coloured, spring migrants passing through on their way to nestinggrounds. But my wonky back put an end to birdwatching a couple of years ago.Bending backwards to look up into the trees is something it will not tolerateany more.

So I have been lookingdown (instead of up) at the handful of early butterfly, dragonfly and damselflyspecies that are out and about this time of year. I do the best I can tocapture photographs of this winged wonders using my point and shoot digitalcamera with its 35x zoom. It is a hit and miss proposition as it often cannotfocus on creatures this small.

But every now and then,it surprises me as it did with the SkimmingBluet at the head of this post. (Note: I have tentatively identified it asthat species of Bluet. The manysimilar species, all of which are about one inch long, make it impossible for ahobbyist to be definitive in his identification.)

The conditions had to beperfect – bright sunlight and a neutral background of dirt combined with a dashof luck – for my camera to focus on something so diminutive and catch this kindof detail. It also required the help of the Microsoft Office photo enhancementprogram which allows me to correct the exposure and crop the photo as I seefit.

I made it a point to beout yesterday because I knew the forecast for today (Friday) was cool and wet.I was expecting those conditions. But I was not prepared for snow. Yes, herethis morning on May 28th, only a few days after a stretch of hot andsultry days, it snowed.

Not just a few whimsicalflakes. A genuine flurry of big fat snowflakes that lasted 90 minutes. Theground is warm so it all melted on contact. But still, it was a damn snowflurry!

I could not help but wonderabout the fate of the Bluet. Could itsurvive these unusual conditions? Perhaps it burrowed under the leaf litter, assome butterflies do in this area to overwinter, and will remain snuggled there untilthe warm weather returns. I hope that is the case.

A Skimming Bluet in unpredictable May – a random act of metaphor toremind me that life in all its forms, large or small, is fragile but resilient.We do not know what storms tomorrow may bring, so we must get all we can out oftoday.

~  Now Available Onlinefrom Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites ofPassage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is alsothe author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel whichwas a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

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