- Kathleen Scavone
- Posted On
The Living Landscape: The dramatic dragonfly
“The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature.” – Joseph Campbell
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Take a walk on the wild side, near any marsh, pond, creek or lake and it won't be long before you spy a dragonfly.
As you wander these special places after a dashing spring rain or two, you are apt to sink into the soft, mushy earth with only matted vegetation beneath, to hold you up.
The wetlands and wet ponds are alive with a myriad of life, shining and sparkling to beckon you further.
Don't get distracted by the bird songs that pulse and invite your inspection now – you are here to view the ancient order of Odonata, or dragonflies and damselflies today.
To determine the difference between a dragonfly and damselfly, note the wings. The wings of a dragonfly are straight when resting, like airplane wings, while damselflies tuck in their wings to hold them against their bodies.
Dragonflies possess four separate wings. Like modern drones, dragonflies do not flap their wings, but, instead, hover with wings out, flying forward or backward. Dragonflies use their flight muscles, which are connected at the base of their wings, to fly at speeds up to 60 miles per hour!
As dragonflies hover, then land at an impossible spot at the tip of a reed, you can see just how they have kept their prehistoric demeanor.
Scientists have found insect fossils resembling dragonflies which were determined to be aged at over 300 million years before the present.
If you think today's dragonflies are large for an insect, hold onto your binoculars, because some dragonflies who droned about prior to the time of dinosaurs held a nearly two-and-a-half foot wingspan!
There are more than 60 kinds of these iridescent insects in California. Some are quite brilliant in color, with their dazzling reds, blues and yellow shades, while others are a more sedate brown or black in pigment.
Dragonflies enjoy warm weather, requiring a 63-degree day, or warmer to allow it to start moving.
These insects use their powerful, multifaceted eyesight when hunting their prey, and these incredible insects are carnivorous, consuming other insects, like mosquitoes.
Scientists have found that dragonflies can devour one-fifth their body weight in prey. They, in turn are prey to frogs, water striders and water fowl. Falcons, swallows and flycatchers also consume dragonflies. At certain times of the year dragonflies have been known to swarm.
Some folks have been privy to spy thousands of dragonflies swarming the skies. It is believed that they sometimes hunt in swarms. They can be quite territorial critters, and zoom in on intruders to maintain ownership of their lands.
To various cultures the dramatic dragonfly holds special significance. For example, the Navajo Indians use the symbol of the dragonfly to denote fresh water, and the Zuni portray dragonflies on special pottery.
In some Asian cultures certain dragonfly species have been used in medicines and foods. The Art Nouveau style of art favored by Tiffany Studios in New York featured dragonflies in their glass creations.
The darting dragonfly is an interesting creature to observe.
Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is a retired educator, potter, writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and “Native Americans of Lake County.” She also writes for NASA and JPL as one of their “Solar System Ambassadors.” She was selected “Lake County Teacher of the Year, 1998-99” by the Lake County Office of Education, and chosen as one of 10 state finalists the same year by the California Department of Education.