More and more I find myself concerned with heritage. This may be because the entire thrust of the 20th century has been to demolish heritage, both natural and human.

My own family and family heritage are very important to me, and so when I visited my father's homestead in Eastern Ontario, I asked if I could have a clump of day lilies from the old family garden. I transplanted these to our log cabin by the pond in Haliburton County. They are now thriving and spreading and continuing the generational link. Their graceful curves interlaced with wild grasses and set against the still waters of the pond reminded me of a Japanese screen.

Dragonflies were using the day lilies as vantage points to watch for insect prey. They always seemed to me like noble warriors of the air... slender, alert and agile.

- Robert Bateman