Rochester Sun Times Feature
Rochester’s First Dragonfly Takes Wing: A Rescue Months in the Making
From icy November waters to a quiet June night, one of 61 rescued dragonfly nymphs emerges—marking the next chapter in a living story of nature, loss, and renewal
By Lisa Loucks-ChristensonJune 9, 2026 | 12:20 AM CDT
Tonight in Rochester, something extraordinary happened in the quiet of an ordinary moment.
During a routine evening feeding, I opened the lid—and came face to face with a dragonfly.
For months, I’ve lifted that same lid to care for the 61 dragonfly nymphs I rescued from Pool Pond in November 2025. I remember walking barefoot into icy water, knowing the conditions had turned against them. Every nymph left behind perished. Sixty-one came home with me. Not all survived the long journey.
But tonight, one rose.
Bale is now Rochester’s first dragonfly on the wing from this rescue.
No longer hidden beneath the surface. No longer waiting. His emergence marks a turning point—not just in a life cycle, but in a story that has been unfolding for months inside my home.
From freezing water to a summer night in Rochester, his journey has come full circle. With severe storms expected midweek, I’ll delay his release to give him the strongest possible start when he takes to the sky later this week.
These 61 dragons are more than a rescue effort—they are part of a continuing story rooted here in our community. They are likely the offspring of Lionel, and other dragonflies that once visited Pool Pond.
That earlier story will be told in Lionel: King of the Pool Pond, a memoir I am preparing for release later this fall. The continuation, 61 Dragons (Dragonfly Nymphs), follows these nymphs through their development—some still growing, some not expected to emerge until next year.
Together, these works document more than wildlife. They reflect a sanctuary, a family journey, and the quiet, persistent lessons nature offers—patience, loss, timing, and transformation—told in every beat of a wing.
What began as a duology may yet become a trilogy. Much will depend on what unfolds this summer, and how the story evolves with the installation of Willow Pond.
But tonight, in Rochester, it came down to one moment:
Opening a lid—and meeting a dragonfly face to face.
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Eyes Open (Message to Younger Self)
June 9, 2026
Same presence. Different awareness.
At 61, eyes open—looking back at the woman I was at 21.
If I could say one thing to her, it would be this:
Pay attention. Open your eyes. Don’t miss your flight plan.
Life will ask more of you than you expect. It will also give more than you can imagine—but only if you are willing to see it as it unfolds.
Tonight, I came face to face with that truth in a literal way. One of 61 dragonfly nymphs I rescued months ago emerged—no longer waiting, no longer hidden.
Ready for flight.
The work behind Lionel: King of the Pool Pond and 61 Dragons (Dragonfly Nymphs) is built on that same principle: showing up, staying present, and recognizing the moment when transformation arrives.
Some lessons take a lifetime to understand. Others arrive on wings.
#RochesterMN #leadership #perspective #nature #dragonflynymphs #61Dragons #LionelKingofPoolPond #LisaLCBooks #LisaLoucksChristenson #survivors #cancersurvivormemoir