Angelkeep long declared the dragonfly the official mascot of its location.
Angelpond thrives with many beautiful and busy creatures. Water and land animals arrived soon after the pond’s excavation was completed and a heavy rain rapidly filled the hole. All of the water vegetation came from God’s perfect plan. Fish were added by mankind, and a neighbor young lad had captured a pair to turtles and asked permission to release them in the new neighborhood pond. All other aquatic critters were introduced via the God plan. And Angelkeep saw that it was good.
No record had been written as to the exact date the first dragonfly zipped across the small body of water eventually named Angelpond. Most assuredly it appeared over two decades ago. This one and a mate may simply have migrated north a few feet from a swampy area inside the neighboring forest. Several man-made ponds existed within a quarter mile radius. Dragonflies may have relocated from one or more of those locations.
Angelkeep remained very aware that a Bluffton man, E. Bruce Williamson, who had become a world-renowned and leading expert on dragonflies prior to his death in 1933, could have answered many a dragonfly question. He would have loved walking around all of the small ponds with his “bug net” to capture and identify dragonfly varieties. Perhaps he could have found a new species.
Wells County had few water features in his time. Lost lakes in Jackson Township, Wabash River and its tributary creeks, and Williamson’s favorite, Vanemon’s swamp south of Bluffton. Williamson would have loved, supported, and weekly visited Kunkel Lake in Ouabache State Park had it been dug by the CCC Camp 1592 boys during his lifetime. He would have been thankful to be able to study the growing emergence of all types of animals at Ouabache drawn there by a new forest and a water source.
Angelkeep’s columnist has written Williamson’s exciting life into a book. Angelkeep has always been thankful for and a huge fan of Williamson’s world-leadership in both dragonfly and iris nature sciences. Angelkeep remains also thankful at this Thanksgiving time for the rich natural habitat provided at nearby Ouabache State Park. Williamson’s biography explains the legacy he left behind for all Indiana State Parks existent at the time of his death.
More than one Angelkeep column could have been filled listing all of the thankful ways Ouabache enriched lives of its visitors. One such never-before-seen animal variety spotted on a visit could be identified only after obtaining a close photo as a Silver Spotted Skipper. It appeared during a dragonfly hunt. Williamson had a practice of capturing other creatures to assist other scientists of the world. He preserved and mailed specimens to others without compensation. He remained knowledgeable about many animals from crawdads, to birds, to butterflies. But he loved his dragonflies best.
Ouabache’s Silver Spotted Skipper had not previously been observed at Angelkeep. Ironically after Ouabache’s introductory confrontation, one did appear on the home front. They may have been existent previously, just never captured via a photo for study and identification.
The bottom side of the wings of the small butterfly are black with a few bright yellow-orange spots. These mirror themselves on the top of the wings. The overall covering of the top of the wings hold many more small scales of orange giving the black area the appearance of being lightly sprayed with orange paint.
A distinct identifying mark on the underwing is a single bright white spot. It is the only spot on the lower half of the wing, while the yellow-orange spots only appear on the upper portion. The white serves as the largest spot of the black wing, and only on the underside.
The rather fat body, especially the abdomen, make it appear to be a moth rather than a butterfly. Butterflies tend to have a lean body. Both are Lepidoptera. Williamson would have known that. Moths rest wings upright, butterflies tend to rest wings open or flat. Butterflies typically are diurnal (day) and moths nocturnal (night) active. Moth antennae tend toward being leafy or feathery. Butterflies have longer bare antennae somewhat club-shaped with a bulb at the end.
Williamson would have known all that. Angelkeep gives thanks for the Internet and digital cameras which help educate. Angelkeep remains thankful for Ouabache’s science lessons and will once again give thanks for the park and all its natural wonders on Thanksgiving Day.
Angelkeep Journals takes its annual one-day vacation next Thursday. Pie became an Angelkeep Thanksgiving “appetizer” long ago. Happy Turkey Day.
Mr. Daugherty is a Wells County resident who, along with his wife Gwen, enjoy their backyard and have named it “Angelkeep.”
