Dragonfly and Poppy

Dragonflies have always fascinated me.Their shimmering wings and beautiful colors are so ethereal and magical.A few years ago I lived right by a... more

by Ellen Levinson

Title

Dragonfly and Poppy

Artist

Ellen Levinson

Medium

Painting - Watercolor

Description

Dragonflies have always fascinated me.Their shimmering wings and beautiful colors are so ethereal and magical.A few years ago I lived right by a stream.It was one of those summers plagued by incessant mosquitoes! My grandson came running in from playing one day and said the dragonflies were attacking them. I went out to see what he was talking about.There seemed to literally be thousands of dragonflies swarming all over the lawn and down to the stream.They weren't attacking the kids at all - they were feasting on mosquitoes!I have always considered them a blessing - calling me to attention,reminding me of the illusions all around us, and to be open to change.(For more about Dragonfly medicine see The Medicine Cards by Jamie Sands and David Carson)

A fanciful,lacy,stylized dragonfly appears to be resting on a bright red poppy. This colorful,decorative painting will brighten any room it is hung in.Suitable for an inn,hotel,office,restaurant,cafe,or bed & breakfast,a bedroom,dining room,hall,studio,den,living room or sun room.It is also beautiful as an all purpose note card or i-phone case.
A dragonfly is an insect characterized by large multifaceted eyes,two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body. They are sometimes mistaken for damselflies, which are similar.Most dragonflies cannot walk well. Dragonflies are among the fastest flying insects in the world.
Dragonflies are usually found by lakes,marshes,streams,etc because their larvae called nymphs are aquatic,and are important predators of the insect world eating mosquitoes,and other small insects including flies,bees and wasps,ants,and on rare occasions, butterflies.Dragonflies are subject to being preyed upon by birds, lizards, frogs, spiders, fish, water bugs, and even other large dragonflies.
In Europe, dragonflies were often thought to be sinister.The English called them "devil's darning needle" and ear cutter", thus linking them to evil and/or injury.
For some Native American tribes they represent swiftness and activity, and for To the Navajo dragonflies symbolize pure water. They appear frequently as a motif in Zuni pottery,also as rock art and in Pueblo necklaces.
Oding (taken from the Latin name for the dragonfly order - Odonata) is a hobby in the United States,similar to birding and butterflying. In Texas 225 different species of dragonflies have been observed.Both dragonflies and butterflies can be handled very carefully and with dry fingers but it is not a good idea.There are approximately 5680 different species of dragonflies (Odonata) are known in the world today.
Information from 'The Medicine Cards" by Jamie Sands and David Carson" and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragonfly
"A Poppy is a flowering plant in the subfamily Papaveroideae of the family Papaveraceae. Poppies are herbaceous plants, often grown for their colourful flowers. One species of poppy, Papaver somniferum produces edible seeds, and is also the source of the crude drug opium which contains powerful medicinal alkaloids such as morphine and has been used since ancient times as analgesic and narcotic medicinal and recreational drugs. Following the trench warfare which took place in the poppy fields of Flanders, during the 1st World War, red poppies have become a symbol of remembrance of soldiers who have died during wartime." Poppies come in many colors with 4-6 petals,many stamen in a whorl in the center of the flower and some petals have markings.The flowers can be up to 6" across and the plants can grow to over 4 ft tall. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poppy

(c) 2014 Ellen Lynn Levinson (Ellyn)
All images are protected by U.S. and International copyright laws.
All rights reserved by the artist Ellen Lynn Levinson (Ellyn).
Images may not be reproduced or used in any way without written permission from the artist

Uploaded

May 23rd, 2014