In Praise Of Dragonflies

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Countryside : One Thread

This cooler weather we're having must be affecting me. Anyway, Of all the bugs in our garden, both good and bad there's one that seems to stand out above all the rest. I saw a huge praying mantis and bunches of ladybugs, butterflies and other beneficials, but the dragonflies are the most impressive to me. They are so beautiful and there seems to be an abundance of them this year. So many different colors. Maybe someone else like them or maybe you have a favorite bug?

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), July 25, 2000

Answers

My favorite bug is the honeybee (it better be -- we've got ten-plus hives full of them!!).

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), July 25, 2000.

I've often wondered, what do dragonflys eat? I think they are beautiful also, but my favorite has to be the praying mantis. Something about the way they wait, they seem to be "thinking".

-- Tina (clia88@newmexico.com), July 25, 2000.

I love dragonflies! Stick your arm up in the air, with your index finger extended....sooner or later one will land on your finger! And what an assortment there is! Dragonflies are tied with "walking sticks" in this competition!

-- Sue (sulandherb@aol.com), July 25, 2000.

Don't know if they would classify, but spiders, out in the garden. Have an abundance of wolf spiders and think they are fascinating, especially when they're carrying their babies on their back. Sounds weird, huh? A spiders web in the morning, with dew glistening on it, is a really beautiful creation. Funny, I can not stand to see a spider in the house, but out in the garden, they don't seem to bother me. Go figure!

-- Annie (mistletoe@earthlink.net), July 25, 2000.

One of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in my life was on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. We were rafting in an especially narrow part, with the canyon walls close in and dark. We suddenly went through a place where there were literally millions of dragonflies in the air. Their wings were truly gossamer....just beautiful gold, shimmering as they caught the available sunlight against the black schist walls. If I could have made the river run backwards I would have stayed there all day to watch them. It was an amazing ephemeral moment in time, and a real gift. For that, dragonflies will always be "holy" to me.

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), July 25, 2000.


On a internet treck, I read somewhere that Dragonflies eat mosquitoes. "Come on, Dragonflies," here in Florida. I almost ran into a hugh Banana Spider web, with occupant in middle. I freaked. Am told they have a nasty bite. Oily spider webs, YUCH!

-- Dragonfly (pr@ise.com), July 25, 2000.

I am very interested in dragonflies (see my email addy?). Here is a site that has many pictures and interesting info about them:

http://dragonflywebsite.com/

Snippet from the site -- "Adult dragonflies/damselflies feed mainly on other insects such as small gnats, mosquitoes, black flies, horse flies, and deer flies." The eggs hatch out into larvae (also called nymphs or naiads) that live in water, eating things like mosquito larvae. Bigger ones might even eat tadpoles (!)

This past spring I was lucky enough to observe the adult dragonflies emerging from their nymph carapaces. The carapace splits open, and the dragonfly comes out from the back, leaving the carapace hanging on a grass stem. The dragonfly unfurls it's wings and lets them dry/harden before flying. It was fascinating!

Another fascinating insect, which I saw for the first time this spring, is the hummingbird moth (also called the sphinx moth or hawk moth). It was flying from azalea blossom to azalea blossom, and it really looked like a hummingbird! This is a picture of it:

http://www.madbbs.com/~tracy/photo/graphics/images/0917-38.jpg

-- J E Froelich (dragnfly@chorus.net), July 26, 2000.


Cindy , I have noticed an awful lot of dragonflies this year too. I see loads of them flying around the yard these days. I think they are great too. My favorite is butterflies ( I know, I know but they are so pretty ) and Annie, Last month when I was picking green beans a wolf spider jumped on the back of my shirt and liked to have given me a coronary. You have never seen any one peel out of ther clothes so quick I guarantee. I completely forgot I lived near the highway. Not to mention my 13 year old son; who proceeded to roll on the ground laughing at his poor histericle mother who has just stripped on front of God and everyone to get away from one spider. I insist that it was one of those fight or flight situations. I don't like spiders and snakes would be an understatement.

-- Bonnie (josabo1@juno.com), July 26, 2000.

Can't say it's cool here ~ 90's, low hundreds, low humidity. We did have a cool day. Think it was a Tuesday, back in January!

I just had to measure one of the walking sticks here ~ 12 inches. Well, this IS Texas!

-- ~Rogo (rogo2020@yahoo.com), July 26, 2000.


Hi Cindy,

I read an article about dragonfly fossils that had 27 inch wingspans. That would have been something to see in flight. But then, how big were the mosquitoes that they ate! I guess I'll stick around with today's varieties.

I remember that dragonflies were part of my childhood sex education. "Hey Dad. Why are those dragonflies stuck together?"

(:raig

-- Craig Miller (CMiller@ssd.com), July 27, 2000.



Glad to read about so many other "bug lovers"! They are so very fascinating,so amazingly designed! We love the dragonflies too.The cicadas of last year were neat!We raise monarch butterflies from eggs.(Recommended reading:From Darkness to Light to Flight-interesting & informative book on the monarchs)My daughter loves the little water-skaters,and my son loves little black ants.I guess we're all a little buggy. Only bugs that I really dislike:ticks,fleas,mosquitos,&flies. One of the things that I like about schooling at home is the opportunity to teach(and learn)more about God's amazing creation! God's blessings... ~~~Tracy~~~

-- Tracy Jo Neff (tntneff@ifriendly.com), July 29, 2000.

I also love dragonflies and spent about an hour this Fourth of July soaking in a local waterway with a mating pair and a loner perched on my floating, dead-log white legs (I suffer from terminal Caucasia - I don't even beige, let alone tan) (Okay, sometimes if I stay out I turn a nice shade of ecru, but that's it) I love spiders, too, along with just about anything living. Question for bugsperts: In my garden, mainly on corn, I have found a small (BB sized) bug that is the most beautiful shade of gold and I mean true metallic gold, shimmer and all. My husband said that when he followed one beneath a leaf and turned it over (the leaf), the bug had changed to dull brown with spots, not a trace of gold. What gives? Any ideas?

-- Soni Pitts (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), August 01, 2000.

Hi Soni, You're funny! I,likewise,suffer from the same disorder-though occasionally I sport a few pale freckles. Off hand,I don't know the bug you described;I'm sure someone on Forum does though.You do however give me a nice excuse to go to the library!(Alright,it doesn't take much of an excuse for me to go to the library.)If no one has answered you,we'll endeavor to. God bless, ~Tracy~

-- Tracy Jo Neff (tntneff@ifriendly.com), August 01, 2000.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ