Dragonfly Drifting Through Memories

Memories, nature’s gifts, and moments caught between time and place.

I found a dragonfly — the brown hawker (Aeshna grandis, Finn. ruskoukonkorento) — drifting upside down in the lake while paddleboarding.
I gently picked it up, thinking it was already dead. But it surprised me — it was moving a bit! I let it rest on my knee to dry while I slowly paddled.

Later, it started to tremble its wings — a hopeful little movement — so I brought it to our boat to dry some more and waited for us to get to shore where I planned to release it back into nature.
I set it down on the book I had meant to read, if there had been a spare moment (there wasn’t) and let it heal.

And when I realized the book’s name was Sudenkorento — Dragonfly — I couldn’t believe it. What a coincidence!
The dragonfly didn’t survive — it simply died. Maybe it had been in water for too long.
I took it home, and we placed it gently on our corkboard, among all our nature findings.

This corkboard is full of insects found dead, and pieces of eggshell, feathers, snake skins, wasps’ nests… These are our treasures. And they also teach children — when they wonder what the difference is between a flower fly and a wasp, they can compare them with real specimens.

I’ve been lucky with this collecting hobby. I have even found beautiful demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo, Finn. neidonkorento) dead on the ground. And my children found a red mason bee (Osmia bicornis, Finn. rusomurarimehiläinen) on the west coast of Finland. It’s quite rare and new pollinator in Finland. My 8-year-old son identified it with an app and read about it on hes own. He remembers the name now and he can tell about it. So, collecting this dead insect made him remember — and learn.

This book’s English name is Dragonfly in Amber, which refers to the dragonfly is preserved in amber. It symbolizes something delicate, beautiful caught in time — like memories we try to keep safe.

The corkboard is like amber — it preserves not only nature finds but also memories. Every piece on it holds a story: where it was found, by whom, and often with something funny or personal is attached.

My own memory isn’t very reliable. I remember things better when there’s something tangible to hold onto. Photos and little nature treasures help anchor my memories and make them stronger. Memories matter — everyone in our family recalls the same moments differently. Some might remember how something looked, others how it smelled. Some might recall what somebody said or what snacks we shared. Remembering together is important; it makes memories richer and stronger.

We often look at these little findings, talk about the moments, and the children love to show their discoveries to our guests. We’ve got a bit of nature inside, and I like it! I’d love to spend all my time outdoors, but that’s not possible. So, why not bring nature in?

I’ve included a very short survey at the end, and I would love it if you could take a moment to answer it. ♡

No living creatures were harmed. All finds were already dead or had passed away on their own.