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Dragonflies
updated: Oct 22, 2011, 10:31 AM
By David Powdrell
Dragonflies - those iridescent, four-winged, prehistoric oddities
I've always been intrigued by the iridescent, four-winged, prehistoric-looking oddity, the dragonfly. In the last few weeks, we had two of them make their way into our house and rather than open the door to safety, I bee lined it for the camera, wife and kids squirming and screaming.
With the help of my nosey assistant, Barnaby, we were able to catch, photograph and release safely the two dragonflies.
Some interesting factoids about the dragonfly:
1. Most of the dragonfly's life is in a larva stage (up to 3 years). The adult, winged stage lasts only a few weeks, primarily for mating.
2. Sometimes they'll travel in swarms due to weather changes.
3. One of their primary food sources is the mosquito.
4. They're ancient insects; they've been around for almost 300 million years.
5. The largest dragonfly fossil has a wingspan of almost three feet. Yikes.
6. Male dragonflies are territorial.
7. Dragonfly young have a special appendage on their head that they can use to spear tiny fish.
I hope you enjoy the photos and maybe learned something new about that interesting rascal, the dragonfly.
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