The Little Tyke

  Perhaps it is the fact that I am a mother or maybe things just trust me...I don't know but for some strange reason, critters lack a fear of me. This is all good until it is some unwanted friendliness.  The curious cottonmouth moccasin or nosy yellow jacket can cause a bit of angst. The trepidation usually eases once the critter decides that I am not their best friend.  They retreat and I breathe a sigh of relief.  Other critters never leave.
 
  I was out sitting in the cooling breeze when I noticed a dragonfly pull in beside me.  It lighted upon the strap of my camera case and stayed for the duration of my rest.  A visit from a dragonfly is not unusual but the size of this particular insect was most curious.  The thing was about half the size of a normal dragonfly.  My goodness!  This little tyke was tiny!  This started me pondering as to how the minuscule being came to be.  Dragonflies are not like most critters that are born tiny and grow into their full size.  Once the nymph morphs into the flying stage, they are as big as they are going to get.  This was not some "baby" dragonfly that would soon grow as large as its peers.  The poor little guy was just puny!  I wondered if something had happened during the early portion of its life that made it undersized.

  The dragonfly and I communed for long while.  It sitting, staring silently at me while I yammered on about how he had a huge task to keep up with all of the other dragonflies.  I gave him some uplifting, inspirational words about never giving up and perseverance.  "Don't give in to the bullying, Little Guy!  You have what it takes to make it in the Dragonfly World!  You are just as beautiful as your larger relatives. Sometimes great things come in small packages."  Yep, I was talking to a bug here.  I was trying to give him the boost he needed to compete in the insect world.  After a bit, the little tyke started darting about the birdbath as if this was his private "pond".  In that tiny bowl of water, he looked like a relative giant!  Looking good, Little Tyke, looking good!