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Natural Dragonflies

Dragonfly Pictures

Jan 5th, 2011
by Dragonfly Lore.
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Broad-bodied Chaser (a dragonfly) Libellula de...
Broad-Bodied Chaser dragonfly. Image via Wikipedia

What is dragonfly? This is a small creature that is a part of the insect family of Odonata.

In Greek, the word Odonata simply means tooth and because dragonfly are thought as an insect that actually bites and not sting, the root word perfectly describes them. Nevertheless, their exotic look and natural beauty as an insect makes them an ideal dragonfly pictures display or designs for home.

Yes! It is true that a dragonfly bites and not sting however, they bite not people but other insects as they fought for their food. Another interesting fact that you ought to know about these small creatures is that due to their passion or likeness for other insects as their food, they are called beneficial insects.

Dragonfly are also called by two names the darning needles and horse stingers, due to the sharpness and strong needles that is also elongated are the reasons they are known for their bites. While resting they stretched their wings out that is usually about 5 in or 12.7 cm long.

These beautiful insects are slender, smaller but more often than not full of color. They lay eggs either near the water or on it. Since they are also aquatic and can breathe in the water as they have gills in the back of their abdomen, the gills that they used for propulsion in the water. They feed on other insects larvae only.

This insect has about 6500 different species and they are divided into 600 genera. These are the actual number of dragonflies that have been identified and named.

In North America, the dragonfly species that has been confirmed and identified already range from 450 of Odonata species and that only the 11 known identified insects were be divided into different genera

Moreover, in United States alone the number of identified Odonata is well over 200 Odonata species, and that the bulk of them are found in Texas making this states the dragonfly capital.

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Dragonfly Memoirs

Jan 5th, 2011
by Dragonfly Lore.
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Yellow striped hunter, Austrogomphus guerini, ...
Image via Wikipedia

Dragonflies have been wrongly accused of sewing children’s eyes close, striking livestock. They have been called the devil’s darning needles, water witches and snake doctors.

Unless you’re a small flying insect, there is nothing scary about dragonflies. They are actually our backyard friends and help out in making a garden wonderful.

They actually help out around the garden by gobbling up mosquitoes, flies, and gnats. Their larvae cleanses the pond scum and devour immature mosquitoes, diving beetles, and other water bugs.

Dragonflies are an indicator species, having them around the garden means that the ecosystem is healthy. This is specially true in their aquatic stage and when they are on the prowl of freshwater ponds and streams.

To keep them feeding and flying around our gardens and ponds, add water lilies. A dragonfly can lay several thousand eggs a day in water or several hundred in the stems of floating-leaf plants. Before long you will have dragonfly nymphs swimming about in the pond.

During mating, the male dragonfly clasps the female. She bends to pick up the sperm at the front of his abdomen. Dragonflies lay their eggs in the water or in water plants.

After the eggs have been laid, the nymphs will start feeding, using their specialized hinged lower lip to catch pray. The skin of a grown nymph splits open and an adult dragonfly emerges, that is the life cycle of a dragonfly. (more…)

Beneficial Insects for Your Garden

Mar 1st, 2010
by Dragonfly Lore.
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Zinnias With Dragonfly

Zinnias with Dragonfly. Image by bbum via Flickr

By Pamela Ravenwood

The idea of having insects of any variation, living within the garden you work so hard to maintain, can manifest a troublesome stream of thought.

In truth, there are several tiny creatures that create a healthy dynamic for your greens. In understanding how these insects operate, it is possible to work with them to create a natural balance within your own garden.

Here are the most common insects that can be a benefit to most all gardens:

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Flying Dragons of the Sky

Aug 9th, 2009
by Dragonfly Lore.
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Dragonfly mechanics

Image by macropoulos via Flickr

Author: Ruel Hinaloc

DURING hot, midsummer days, the air above fields and ponds becomes the stage for some of the most amazing fliers in insectdom—the dragonflies.

With their two pairs of long wings glistening in the sun, you can see dragonflies flashing back and forth, looping, turning and diving at will. One moment they will be zooming at express-train speed high in the sky, then, the next, swooping down to skim the surface of a pond. These marvels of creation can even fly backward or hover in midair like a helicopter.

But the sun-loving dragonflies do not fly simply for the enjoyment of it. These aerial dynamos ply their skills to feed an insatiable appetite. In fact, Mr. Dragonfly can eat his own weight in half an hour and still be hungry.

When hunting a meal to appease their appetite, dragonflies exhibit distinctive habits. Some species search over large areas. Others have set paths that they follow generation after generation. Larger dragonflies stake out territories for themselves and drive off other dragonflies by wildly clattering their wings. (more…)

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