DRAGONFLIES have been among the many insects to benefit from the above-average spring and summer rain across the district.There are probably more than 20 different species of dragonflies and damselflies locally. Some are common and widespread, while others are rare and restricted in their distribution.How is it that dragonflies have been so abundant, so soon after the wetlands filled?This is a question that has puzzled many people, because dragonflies begin life as aquatic nymphs ("mudeyes"), and some of these spend a year or two in water before emerging as adult dragonflies.However, some dragonflies are more opportunistic in their lifestyles, colonising temporary waters and concluding a generation in about 10 weeks.On the other hand, some river-inhabiting species might spend more than a year as mudeyes. A few are known to take 10 years or more.Temperature affects the growth of the mudeyes. One common species, when growing in artificially heated waters (such as fishponds), can have two or three generations a year. But in cold water, as in Australia's high country, the same species takes two years to complete its life cycle.Despite having recently discovered this, I still cannot understand how we have been able to have so many dragonflies of so many species in our region this year. How is it that so many of them have completed their life cycles in less than six months? Can it be that all the dragonflies we are now seeing have short life cycles?Will we see even more next year - including some different species - when those with a one-year life cycle mature?Today's photo, taken earlier this year alongside Lake Learmonth by Fon Ryan, shows a dragonfly emerging from its "mudeye" case. This remarkable photo clearly shows the soft-skinned dragonfly almost out of its case. Although the insect appears soft and weak, Mr Ryan told me that it flipped up and grabbed onto the case soon after he took the photograph. Newly-emerged dragonflies such as the one shown, are much duller than the adults. They gain colour and strength after fully emerging.They then fly - often away from their wetland - for a couple of weeks before becoming sexually mature. Males then select a territory, which they defend while awaiting the arrival of a female. Young owls at ScotsburnThree young owls were often seen in a Scotsburn garden over summer.Their identity was not confirmed, but it is most likely that they were boobooks.The boobook owl, or mopoke, is the most likely owl to be nesting at Scotsburn, and the voice description and a couple of rather dark photographs also add to evidence that the owls were boobooks.Each night the three young owls would appear regularly at 8.45pm. Although it was too dark to make out definite colours, they appeared to be greyish underneath.A feature was a high-pitched, loud, long, cheeping call given in flight.Since then a couple of photos have arrived at The Courier office. On these we can just make out the owls' greyish breasts, and a shape that resembles a boobook owl.In these photos the eyes are brightly lit, standing out like lights in an otherwise dark photograph. One photo in particular is very appealing artistically because of the oversize white eye spots on top of a faint greyish body.The boobook owl is widespread in the Ballarat district, but its distinctive, far-carrying "mo-poke" call is heard far more often than the bird itself is seen.It nests in holes in trees and three is a common brood.With a body about the size of a pigeon's, it is a smaller bird than many people realise.Young ones are greyish-brown underneath and chocolate-brown above. As they mature they have white streaks on a brown breast.Unseasonal flowersMany plants have kept growing with the continued summer rain. Some are still flowering, much later than usual.Capeweed is an example. I recently saw many plants of capeweed flowering.Admittedly the plants were much smaller than the usual spring plants, but there they were, flowering. Capeweed has usually died off completely by mid-summer.Two exotic weedy grasses, cocksfoot and phalaris, are also flowering in places, releasing loads of pollen into the air when brushed against.These are very unusual observations in the month of March.In our garden, we have a native wax-flower plant with a light sprinkling of flowers. It has only ever flowered in spring in previous years. While the flowers of early autumn have made their usual appearance, there are still a few spring or summer flowering plants that have greatly extended their flowering time.It shows what some plants can do with the extra moisture provided by regular summer rain.