Bug sighting

At the cottage, not all the bugs are those that hunt for you—some bugs you have to look for.

On the long weekend, my nephew and nieces had a great time looking for interesting insects and examining them in their bug viewing boxes. We saw some really beautiful moths and beetles. And walking back to the cottage after the campfire, I was lucky enough to spot a firefly.

Last week, in our office back yard, I noticed a big dragonfly just hanging out on a wall covered in vines. It was probably about 7 cm long (which seems really long to me!). Here’s a photo of the big guy (thanks to Gary Davidson for snapping the shot).

I sent a note to Bob Anderson, the Canadian Museum of Nature’s entomologist, to see if he could help identify our visitor. He said it is a dragonfly, and it looks to him like its species is the Variable Darner, Aeshna interrupta.

Thanks for stopping by, Aeshna, and for a breath of cottage country in the middle of the city!