Dragonflies & Damselflies
Just a few days ago, I went to Stricker Pond where I watched in wonder as the beautiful blue dragonfly flew in and around the tall grasses. Using manual focus, I focused on the dragonfly. The top photo is the result.
Dragonflies and damselflies have interested me for a long time. If you look closely, as you walk outside, you may see one or more among the flowers or bushes. Stricker Pond is a great place to see them as they often live near ponds and other waters. There are dragonflies out by our pond each year.Okay, so do you know what they eat? It's always good to see them because they eat mosquitoes and gnats and lots of them. When we lived near a pond, we had a lot of gnats coming through our screens. How annoying that was! I'm sure a lot of people experience this.
Just like hummingbirds, they hover. Fast fliers, they are able to go more than 30 mph which means that they are one of the fastest flying insects in the world. Because of how fast they can fly and how they can hover, they are able to partner in flight, as you see to the right. I watched as this pair stayed together and, after learning their habits, I manually focused on them. This is the result.
The first dragonfly was seen approximately 300 million years ago. Remember when dinosaurs were here? Well, in prehistoric times, dragonflies' wings were quite large (about 2.5 inches long)! Can you imagine seeing that! How scary that would be.
Just like snapping turtles, they bake in the sun to get the nutrients they need for the day. When you look at a dragonfly, you will notice that the eyes take up most of the head. Their eyesight is incredible in that they have between 30,000 and 50,000 lenses. It is said that they have the best eyesight of all the insects. 
These beauties live between 14 days and 365 days which is determined by how fast they are eaten by predators. So what feasts on them? The variety includes "fish, birds, and water beetles." We have to enjoy them while we can. I do know of individuals who are afraid of them. It is important to know that they will not harm humans.
Seeing eye-to-eye with a dragonfly was quite a nice surprise. I had gone out to our sun porch and saw this beauty on a screen. A photographer, I retrieved my camera and snapped the shutter. I'm so glad I did.
We are taking away land that they live on. We are building where the beautiful fliers call home.
Please think twice before you build. The habitat you want to destroy will mean less wildlife (birds, butterflies, dragonflies, and lots more). It will mean the air quality will go down. It will mean the Earth will become warmer.
Thank you so much for visiting!
Judy
References:
Zim,
H.S. & Cottam, C. (2001). Insects: A Guide to Familiar American Insects.
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