DRAGONFLY

Hello Tuesday, you’re wet again but that’s ok we need rain, now this weeks extreme creature is the dragonfly.

The dragonfly is one of the fastest flying insects in the world, with the larger species capable of speeds of up to 70km/h. It’s also incredibly nimble in the air, it can hover, fly in zigzags and go backwards.

Adult dragonflies are characterised by a pair of large, multifaceted compound eyes, two pairs of strong, transparent wings, sometimes with coloured patches, and an elongated body. They have a lifespan of 7-56 days.

Dragonflies come in all sorts of colours like yellow, red, brown, and blue; sometimes the wings have brown spots and bands. Male damselflies typically have iridescent wings and some type of colourful blue, green, or purple body, while the females usually have a golden brown colour, even on their wings.

Who eats them? Just about everything. Birds, especially the more acrobatic flyers such as flycatchers, swallows, kingfishers, falcons and kites, eat countless dragonflies, while spiders, praying mantids, robber flies and even early-emerging bats will dine on dragonflies as well. Who eats them? Just about everything.

Birds, especially the more acrobatic flyers such as flycatchers, swallows, kingfishers, falcons and kites, eat countless dragonflies, while spiders, praying mantids, robber flies and even early-emerging bats will dine on dragonflies as well.