Related Topics Dragonfly benefits of a dragonfly to our environment Dragonflies Dragonfly and it's benefits. Like this article? Himachal Pradesh Incentives for Farmers. Share your comments. We're on WhatsApp! Join our WhatsApp group and get the most important updates you need. Join on WhatsApp. Regardless of their fearsome appearance, dragonflies do not sting, and they are completely harmless to people. In addition, these insects that come in many brilliant colors — copper, emerald, amethyst, sapphire and others — that provide charming visual appeal for ponds, streams and other fresh water bodies.
Ruth Williams has been writing since Animals in a Temperate Climate. How to Identify Red Mosquitoes. Facts About Silkworms. What Kind of Birds Eat Bees? Adaptations of the Crawfish. Using a basket-like arrangement of their legs, adult dragonflies can actually catch and eat other bugs while they are flying.
Dragonflies are large and heavy-bodied insects. They usually hold their wings open and flat when when they are perched on something, just like the dragonfly in the picture above.
Their eyes are close together, often touching. Dragonflies come in many sizes. The average size of a dragonfly is from 1 to 4 inches in length. In prehistoric times dragonflies were much larger - the largest flying insects ever. The largest member of extinct dragonflies had a wing span of about cm or about 30 inches. Although mostly found near ponds and streams, dragonflies are very skilled fliers and can fly many miles from where they live near the water.
Because they are such strong fliers; a few kinds of dragonflies even migrate. Most dragonflies live for about 6 months. At the beginning of their life cycle they are eggs, then they live as larvae or nymphs, and they finally develop into adults.
Though most dragonflies don't live too long, there are some larger dragonflies that live for 6 or 7 years! Most of this time is spent living as a larva or nymph, beneath the surface of water, catching other insects. Dragonflies have some enemies. Birds catch and eat adult dragonflies. Spiders eat dragonflies by catching them in webs. Frogs eat them, and larger species of dragonflies eat the smaller ones. Dragonflies do have ways that can protect themselves from predators.
Their main predators are fish and frogs. Again, depending on environmental conditions and species, immatures undergo approximately molts, over a time between 3 months and years. Immatures then crawl up a vertical plant stem and molt for the final time.
The youthful adult fills out its body with fluid and hardens until it can fly. The Dragonfly flies away from the water until it becomes sexually mature.
This results in a dispersal where the Dragonfly finds other wetland areas. Perhaps this inherent plan allowed Dragonflies to be one of the most successful creatures on earth. Fossilized remains of large Dragonfly ancestors have been found indicating they were around million years ago. As with many beneficials, providing a suitable habitat is vital to maintaining their populations.
Small backyard ponds with some clear surface area, vertical plant stems, and at least partial sun will be colonized by larvae. You may already have Dragonfly nymphs in a water garden in your landscape. On a broader note, maintaining wetlands of all types will keep these valuable insects flying in our landscapes and help provide effective control of insect pests! Earth-Kind uses research-proven techniques to provide maximum gardening and landscape enjoyment while preserving and protecting our environment.
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