DRAGONFLIES CONSUME SPRINGFIELD

We're supposed to be delighted with nature, and usually we are. The last several days, however, have caused us to rethink our position.

It's the dragonflies. Cripes, they're everywhere. One evening saw dozens, scores of the flitting things clustered around the blackberries (thornless!) in the backyard. Just the sound of the dragonflies was enough to make us shriek and run faster than Bill Frist from George Bush.

So can anyone tell us the reason for so many dragonflies? We know they eat mosquitoes, so we should be grateful. Bats do the same thing, however, and they're much cooler.