Seems I am going through a mandala style design phase so decided to try one using the photographs I've taken of insects. The Sanskrit meaning of mandala is circle. The circle is a symbol of perfection, eternity, unity, and completeness.

The Common Whitetail dragonfly forms the basis of the design because of the striking pattern on its wings. Alongside are Blue-eyed Darner, white moth, and my favorite, the cicada! One of the things I look forward to each summer is the high pitched sound of the cicada coming from the nearby woods. I so enjoy their mating call- a high pitched rattle which slowly subsides to silence. What is left is the relatively quiet symphony of all other insects until the next wonderfully ear piercing call! To think that this is caused by their timbales rubbing together is miraculous. But that is nature. Miraculous.

A sure sign of summer coming to an end is the the absence of the cicada mating call. Sadly, I see them laying dead on the ground, having served their purpose, until their larvae hatches next year. Such is the circle of life.