Dragonfly over the Pond (gouache style)

Dragonflies are fast, strong-flying insects with two pairs of clear wings and huge eyes that cover most of the head. At rest they hold their wings out flat, which separates them from the slimmer damselflies, whose wings fold along the body. Blue ones in gardens are often male broad-bodied chasers, with a wide, powder-blue abdomen, or southern hawkers, patterned in green and blue. Their young, called nymphs, live underwater for a year or more.

Dragonflies are on the wing from late spring into autumn, and they'll find a new pond surprisingly quickly. Put it in a sunny spot, fill it with rainwater, and leave out fish, which eat the nymphs. Upright marginal plants such as irises matter, because nymphs climb their stems to split their skins and emerge, often early on summer mornings. Do any clearing in autumn, a section at a time, and leave removed weed on the bank for a day so creatures can crawl back.

This picture catches a blue dragonfly in flight over a small garden pond, with water lilies on the surface and irises at the edge. It shows what even a modest pond can bring in. The dragonfly is shown on the wing, not perched, because that's how you'll usually meet one: patrolling the same stretch of water again and again.