Lauren Waterford's Blog

Dragonflies are usually found within a few miles from the place they were born.
Dragonflies are carnivorous!
When dragonflies are larva they eat small fish, and tadpoles.
When dragonflies are adults the eat small insects, primarily mosquitos.
They can be any color and range in size by any species from 1 to 5 inches.
There antennae are very short.
Dragonflies go through 3 stages of development: egg, naiad, and then a adult.
Dragonflies eggs are laid in water and usually hatch in about 2 to 3 weeks.
In dragonflies larval stage they are called naiads.
Dragonflies live in water and use internal gills to breathe.
As a naiad they live in water for 2 to 3 years.
When the time is right the naiads are ready to become adults they crawl out of the water.
Once they have crawled out of the water the shed there skin.
As an adult they can live for over a year if they migrate away from the cold.
The average weight of a dragonfly is 0.0001 ounce.
The largest insect recorded was called an ancient griffenfly, they were 28 inches in wingspan. Fossils were found in Elmo, Kansas and Midco, Oklahoma.
You would have to use something bigger than a shoe to squish a griffenfly!

P.S. griffenflys are extinct!

Once upon a time there lived a little girl. She had beautiful brown hair and shining brown eyes. Her name was Eleanor. She lived in a little stone cottage in the woods. She was eleven years old and lived with her mother. Inside the cottage there was a kitchen with a small window. Outside of the window there were bird feeders hanging from the roof, where Eleanor’s mother could watch the birds preen their feathers and eat the bird feed while chirping.

One day while Eleanor was washing the dishes she saw a beautiful blue bird. It had an orange stomach and kind black eyes. That night, Eleanor painted the bird on a white canvas her mother had bought her in town; two hours away. Her father had went to heaven when Eleanor was three years old. So, it was just her and her mother.

The next day, her mother was going to town. Eleanor packed her mother a lunch in a basket. She gave her mother a hug and a kiss goodbye. And before her mother left, her she said, “Be good and don’t forget to wash the dishes and do the laundry.”

“I won’t Mother” said Eleanor. Then her mother grabbed her petticoat and walked out. As Eleanor’s mother sat in the wagon, Eleanor waved good bye from the door. Then, she walked inside. First, she washed the dishes. Then, she walked outside to do the laundry. She scrubbed the clothes with warm soapy water. Then she hung them to dry. As she did this the same bluebird flew by and landed on the clothes line. The bird chirped a little. Eleanor was wondering what the bird wanted. After a moment of thinking, Eleanor reached into her pocket and pulled out a hand full of bread crumbs. She slowly held her hand up to the bird. The bird looked at her curiously for a moment. Then, it took two bites and flew off. Eleanor was so excited she leaped in the air. She walked inside and began setting the table. Right as she pulled the warm crisp chicken from the oven her mother walked in.

She had an envelope in her hand and gasped when she saw the pink flowers in a vase at the center of the table. She smiled when she saw the forks wrapped in napkins next to the plates. Her heart was warmed by the freshly picked peas, perfectly roasted chicken, the freshly baked bread and the cream topped milk on the table. “Did you do this?” asked Eleanor’s mother. Eleanor nodded, walked to the left side of the table and pulled out a chair for her mother. Then her mother sat down.

“What’s in the envelope?” asked Eleanor.

“We’ll open it after dinner.” explained her mother.

“I’ll pray if you want.” said Eleanor.

“Sure.” said her mother.

After Eleanor had prayed, they ate the wonderful meal. While eager to hear the letter, Eleanor knew her mother felt that dinner wasn’t over until the dishes were done. Once they had finished the meal and washed the dishes her mother opened the envelope. Eleanor waited as her mother silently read the letter. She watched as her mother frowned reading down the letter.. When she finished the letter her mother said, “I’m sorry to tell you that your dearest grandfather has died. The funeral will be in two days.” Eleanor tried to hold in the tears as her face turned pink.

She finished cleaning and wiping off the table and then asked her mother if she could hold the letter. Her mother nodded. Eleanor slowly walked to her room. Then she dropped on her bed, holding the letter to her heart, and cried herself to sleep.

The next morning, she woke to the sound of the bluebird. It was sitting on her window sill. Eleanor sat up, opened the window and the bird flew in. It circled the room several times before landing on Eleanor’s hand. Again, she reached into her pocket and fed the bird some bread crumbs.

Eleanor’s mother was still asleep. So she quietly walked down the hallway past the kitchen and the dining room and out the door. The bird flew off Eleanor’s hand. She followed the bird who led her to a nest in a small brown barked tree covered with white flowers. There in the nest were 3 little chicks. As Eleanor lovingly looked at the chicks, the mother quickly flew to another branch and picked up a skinny green caterpillar. The mother bird repeated this until each chick had it’s own breakfast. After the chicks had eaten their caterpillars, they opened their mouths, for they were still hungry. So, Eleanor picked up a rock four inches away from the tree. There she found 2 big juicy worms. She pulled a small white cloth from her pocket and picked up the worms. Then she held them out to the mother bird. The mother picked up the worms and fed her babies. This time the chicks were full.

Eleanor looked at the house. There was her mother smiling at her through the kitchen window. Then, her mother called her in for breakfast. Eleanor kissed each chick on the head and skipped away. Once she was inside, she saw a big stack of pancakes on the table. “It looks wonderful!” said Eleanor.

Her mother replied, “I think it would be a great day for tapping some maple trees.”

“Brilliant idea!” exclaimed Eleanor.

After they had finished eating and cleaning up their breakfast, they grabbed their bucket, hammer, spout and their barrel stove. Then, they went out in search of a sugar maple tree. After walking a mile and crossing the creek, they found a grove of sugar maple trees. They tapped a tree, positioned their bucket and gathered wood for the barrel stove. Having done all the work for the day, they left the grove of maple trees, crossed over the creek and tiredly walked home.

Once home, they ate leftovers for lunch. Afterward, Eleanor went to her room, opened her window and continued reading “The Wizard of Oz”. Meanwhile, her mother prepared her favorite soup for dinner; carrot soup. Just as Dorothy throws the water on the wicked witch and she begins melting, Eleanor’s mother walked into her room and began giggling at the look on her face. “Honey, it’s time for dinner.” said her mother. So, Eleanor and her mother went into the kitchen. Her mother prayed and they ate the warm soup.

After dinner, Eleanor helped her mother clean up and was sent off to bed.

The next morning, Eleanor woke up. Her window was still open. She found leaves on her floor and a few on her bed that blew in through the night. She quickly picked them up and thew them out the window. Just then her mother came in and told her to get dressed in her funeral clothes. Eleanor got dressed in her black dress, black bonnet, black shoes and white socks.

Just as they were about to leave, the bluebird flew to Eleanor who gave the bird some bread crumbs. The wagon started to move and Eleanor heard a “Squawk!”. “Stop the wagon!” yelled Eleanor. The driver quickly stopped. Eleanor jumped out of the wagon and found the bird lying dead on the ground. It had gotten caught underneath one of the wagon wheels. She slowly walked back to the wagon as the sky turned grey and it began to rain. Her mother held her closely and opened the black umbrella.

After the funeral, Eleanor and her mother returned home. Eleanor was sitting in the kitchen. She looked out the window. There sitting on the window sill were three little chicks wet and hungry. There was thunder and lighting. One by one Eleanor carefully picked up the chicks and wrapped them in warm fluffy towels. She brought them to her room and laid them on her bed. Pulling breadcrumbs from her pocket she gently fed them. The birds, one by one, chirped and began a harmony of a song in thanks. For they felt loved and cared for.

That night, Eleanor had leftover carrot soup and bread for dinner. The birds had breadcrumbs and juicy worms picked from the front door step.

The next day, Eleanor and her mother went out in search of their maple tree.