Claypit Spectator

[kham]

Dragonflies are 4 kinds of awesome, the F-15 of the insect world

Never bother people at all, they'd walk up your finger and look at you as if to ask "what the heck do you want?"

[water_bug_62208]

Dragonflies are 4 kinds of awesome, the F-15 of the insect world

Never bother people at all, they'd walk up your finger and look at you as if to ask "what the heck do you want?"

The F-15 is a good comparison for a dragonfly. Per the literature, dragonflies are the fastest of the flying insects with certain species capable of sustained speeds of 24 to 36 mph. A couple of sources note a maximum, no doubt short duration, speed of 60 mph. And, dragonflies are indeed highly manueverable. It is often a dogfight between dragonflies and larger species of robber flies as to who eats who.

[kham]

Dragonflies pass the aviation rule : "looks good, probably is good"

[bbjohn]

The little guy was probably hanging out there because there were mosquitoes around. I understand that's a dragonfly's favorite food. A swamp or bog would be a dragonfly's equivalent of an all-you-can-eat buffet. I like dragonflies because they like mosquitoes, and I hate mosquitoes because they like me. Any critter that eats them is okay by me!

Big Bad John

[Boggy Man]

Dragonflies are one of my favorite insects, especially since they eat mosquitoes! You can see the odd one passing by in some of my videos! In past years, around my garden pond (actually, my previous one, since I am redoing it), there would be one dragonfly (well, different one each year) that would claim the area as its territory, and chase away all others. I have had dragonfly nymphs appear in my pond, which later emerged as adults. I have had the odd dragonfly land on me while I was around the vicinity of my sinking locations. I remember many years ago, in the early '90's, around the time when I was registering at Okanagan College in Kelowna, a large dragonfly was flying around the center floor of the "pit" area of the Student Services building, because it was very reflective and looked like water. I saw it land on a girl's pack, and looked like it was laying eggs on it (it had its abdomen hunched up and down, like an upside-down "U")! Wonderful insects!

[nachtjaeger]

I love Dragonflies. This is a true story. Quite a few years ago, I was out in a rowboat on an Adirondack lake with my (then) preschool daughter. The Blackflies had come out to feast on us. These critters have all the personality of a chainsaw, and think DEET is barbecue sauce. Anyway, in pain and frustration I threw the thought at the empty sky "Will somebody please do something about these blackflies?" Poof! Not ten seconds later, a squadron of Dragonflies landed on the boat!! For the rest of the boat ride, I had at least two Dragonflies flying CAP and one ready on the forward 'cat. No more Blackflies. I swear!
That was a strange day. About half an hour later, a huge flock of Turkey Vultures showed up- not scavenging, just riding the thermals and playing with the wind.

[kham]

Nacht : Thats hilarious

WB: you know when you think about it, what with Dragonflies' ability to fly backwards or sideways, that vectored thrust thingy --- maybe they more like F-22s

[water_bug_62208]

Nacht : Thats hilarious

WB: you know when you think about it, what with Dragonflies' ability to fly backwards or sideways, that vectored thrust thingy --- maybe they more like F-22s

Or, maybe more like the AV-8 Harrier or the US Marine's version of the F-35 with vertical take-off capability. Or, perhaps, one of those modern Ag Cat cropdusters... I recall watching one flying into a stiff West Texas wind and cut back on the engine power so that it simply stood still in the air.

I've watched dragonflies remain stationary in the air as they ride the wind then dart one way or the other at full speed as they intercept prey, chase off a competing male, pursue a female. Dragonflies as simply fun to observe.

[PM2K]

i agree! Dragonflies rock.

Two stories for you, both involving dragonflies. In 1986, I was spending the late spring planting trees in Northern Ontario, and there was a bumper crop of our hovering friends.... each planter had up to a half dozen each buzzing around them, achieving air superiority for us grunts. First time I didn't need Muskol in early June in the bush... no deerfly was able to get within landing distance of any of us... the only one to get close got bit in half just off the tip of my nose. Quite the sight.

A city girl working on our crew kept freaking out over them... which was sad, really.

That evening, and here's tale two, I also had an experience nachtjaeger had... I was sharing a rowboat with a bud, keeping him and his beer company while fishing... it was a sunny, wearm and humid evening, and we were close to the shoreline, yet no mosquitoes were bothering us. Then we notices the dragonflies...

Our boat was in the centre of, I kid you not, a vortex of dragonflies... must have been hundreds of them, swirling around us, riding the air currents... above us, there was a column of them easily 40 feet high, thick with these graceful insects... They hung around us until the sun was low on the horizon, and it started to cool down. They left, and slowly, the mosquitoes began to emerge from hiding... by then, we were on our way home...

Amazing creatures.