cranefly – The Morning Porch/Patio

Sunday August 28, 2016

Dave Bonta August 28, 2016

A warm morning, and all I hear are the birds of winter: chickadee, nuthatch, pileated woodpecker. A dead cranefly dangles from a spiderweb.

Dave Bonta September 27, 2012

A cranefly drifts through the yard so slowly, I wonder if it’s asleep. A lilac limb wobbles with warblers—don’t ask me what kind.

Dave Bonta July 10, 2012

A pale cranefly illuminated by the early-morning sun looks almost angelic, until it lands and begins groping its way with its antennae.

Dave Bonta May 30, 2010

A rose-breasted grosbeak flutters up from the creek singing clear, cool notes. A cranefly drifts through a sunbeam, carrying its legs.

Dave Bonta June 24, 2009

Another cloudless, cool morning. Two large craneflies joined back-to-back like Dr. Doolittle’s pushmi-pullyu float sedately past.

Dave Bonta May 19, 2009

Strong sun, and the air so clear, I can see the tiniest floating krill. A cranefly seems enormous—until a pileated woodpecker flops in.

Dave Bonta July 12, 2008

Hazy but cool. A cranefly bumbles over the cherry tree on its too-long legs, its too-small wings, like a marionette with invisible strings.

Dave Bonta June 24, 2008

54°F. A cranefly clings to my elbow, landing gear spread wide as its clear wings flutter in the breeze, flags for the kingdom of water.