Study
Dragonflies
Odonata: two pairs of wings held open in the dark, and the oldest flying design still in the air.
Plate XXVII
Veined Wings
A dragonfly at rest, the venation of the wings reading like drawing on tracing paper.
Shadow →
Plate XXVIII
The Tendril
A damselfly balances on a dry curl of stem: two spirals, one living, one not.
Shadow →
Plate XXXVII
Glasswing
Wings held flat and open, their panes so clear the leaves behind them show straight through.
Shadow →
Plate XXXVIII
Through the Glass
Close enough that the wing becomes a window, the body behind it broken into coloured cells.
Shadow →
Plate XXXIX
The Blue Eye
A head turned in profile, the compound eye shading from rust to pale blue across its curve.
Shadow →
Plate XL
Blue Segments
Brown wings folded over a body banded in chalk blue, the animal the colour of the litter it rests on.
Shadow →
Plate XLI
Low Sun
Late light comes through from behind, turning the wings amber and leaving the perch in shadow.
Shadow →
Plate I
Among the Bracken
Dead bracken fills the frame in every direction, and the dragonfly is the one thing holding still.
Dragonflies
Plate II
Behind Her Veil
Seen against open sky, the wing reads as red lace laid over the body it hides.
Dragonflies