Hmmm, how fortunate to have exquisite reflections of summer sunlight to look back on in the deep freeze of cruel January.
We are into the dead of winter here. Temperatures have plummeted below the freezing mark with bone-chilling wind chills. Venturing outdoors requires bundling up in full winter weather attire and summoning your will to brave the cold.
Confession: I am a winter wimp. It was not always that way. As a child I would charge out into the cold to go tobogganing or play road hockey. I actually liked shoveling snow back then. But somewhere along the way I went soft. Now I hibernate like a grumpy bear in the cold weather.
My antidote for the winter blues is to immerse myself in my nature photos from the previous summer. I use these images to transport myself back to those hot, sunny days and pretend I am living them again.
One of my discoveries this past summer was Hover Flies aka Flower Flies. They are often seen hovering at flowers feeding on nectar and pollen. They are diminutive – less than ¾” in length in most cases – and are quite exquisitely attired (as illustrated in the Transverse-banded Flower Fly at the head of this post) – in combinations of yellow, black and brown.
I was fortunate to capture the Narrow-headed Marsh Fly above perched on a purple flower that provided a lovely backdrop. The delicate veined markings in the gossamer wings capture the sunlight and show to perfection.
The Oblique-banded Pond Fly above is a rather chunky fellow and nicely positioned on a green leaf. It is not often that I get a photo so clear that the feathery hairs that fringe the body show up so distinctly.
The Common Drone Fly shown above survives quite late into the season when other Flower Flies are gone. This one had the fashion sense to perch on an orange leaf and appears to be contemplating its’ own shadow as a I contemplate it!
For today at least, Flower Flies are my metaphor for the glory of summer, its radiant beams of sunlight and the symbiotic relationship that exists among nature’s many creatures. If only I could push the fast-forward button and leap forward into summer’s arms again!
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~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel (now out of print) which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .
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Tags: Flower Fly · Hover fly · metaphor · Michael Robert DyetNo Comments