Growing up in the 1960’s, I remember well The Byrds folk-rock version of the song Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There is a Season), a Pete Seeger song with lyrics adapted almost word-for-word from Chapter 3 of the Biblical Book of Ecclesiastes. (If you have never heard The Byrds version of this song, here’s a link to a YouTube video of a performance.)
“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…”
According to statistical records, the season of the boldly-patterned Twelve-spotted Skimmer dragonfly (Libellula pulchella) in my area ended in early to mid-October. I was therefore shocked last Friday, 30 October, when I spotted a beautiful male Twelve-spotted Skimmer flying about in a field at Huntley Meadows Park.
I sometimes have trouble identifying species, but the wing patterns of this species are so distinctive that I knew exactly what it was, so I chased it around for a little while until I was able to get some shots of it. When I posted this photo on the Facebook page of Northeast Odonata, several members of the group commented on the “fresh” and undamaged condition of the dragonfly.
Statistics only get you so far, especially when looking at individuals. This dragonfly beat the odds and is a survivor—his personal “season” is off of the charts.
Like this dragonfly, we all have personal “seasons.” The dragonfly’s unexpected appearance brought to mind the words of a pastor at a funeral I attended earlier this year, who poignantly remarked that “we all come with expiration dates.” That reminder continues to challenge me as I think about how I should live my life.
“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…”
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Better late than never.
Our warmer weather is bringing insects back now, I’ve noticed.
It’s supposed to be warm today (upper 70’s) and I am off from work, so I’ll be looking to see if what insects have reappeared.
This must be our day for Pete Seeger — just posted “Where have all the Flowers Gone?” Life is all about the passages from season to season.
Another song from my childhood that I remember really well
07 October is the former late-date for Twelve-spotted Skimmer, according to the “official” records maintained by Steven M. Roble, Ph.D., Staff Zoologist, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.