I often visit a feeder canal that is within 5 minutes of my house. The trail is nicely maintained by the Town of Trenton. I never know what a walk along the canal will have in store as the diversity of habitat and species found along the 3+ miles always makes for an interesting outing even when I don’t leave the parking area.
There is a wooded area a short ways down the path that is filled with a beautiful variety of spring woodland wildflowers. When they emerge they look like precious jewels on the forest floor. At this time of year that same area is home to jewels of a different kind. The Ebony Jewelwing Damselflies like shallow, shaded streams and the feeder canal is prefect for them.
Normally Ebony Jewelwings are flighty damselflies and when I approach them they fly up into the trees to bask in the sun. The other morning they were pretty calm and even allowed me to slide my finger in to be their perch.
Now that is what I call bling! The rainbow of metallic colors that reflect off the body and wing edges is miraculous. It always amazes me how molecules can align themselves to create such intricate and beautiful structural colors patterns.
The next time you are walking near a wooded stream look for the fluttering black wings and glistening blue and green bodies.
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