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CREATURE FEATURE

Dragon or Damsel...which art thou?

Poem by Carol Gioia

If you go out for an evening stroll, and pass by a pond, perchance,
A delightful surprise, will light up your eyes, when you see the dragonflies dance.

On the edge of the pond, dragonflies congregate.
Anticipation abounds, as they hover and wait.

Fireflies light up the evening sky to the melody of chirping crickets.
Damselflies unceremoniously rise from their resting place in the thickets.

The damselflies buzz 'round, just hoping for the chance,
To catch the eye of a dragonfly, and be invited to dance.

On their gossamer wings they glide to and fro,
Flirting and teasing, their dragonfly beau.

Lucky the passerby, who garners the chance,
To witness the magic of the dragonflies dance.

You will absolutely see “on the edge of the pond” and throughout Fairview Farm, an extraordinary array of“dragonflies congregate” as “damselflies unceremoniously rise from their resting place in the thickets.” Also called Mosquito Hawks or Devil’s Darning Needles, these insects belong to the order Odonata and share many common features and noticeable differences also. All Odonata share certain characteristics, including membranous wings, large eyes, slender bodies and small antennae. Conversely, there are clear differences between dragonflies (suborder Anisoptera) and damselflies (suborder Zygoptera), seen even before they hatch from eggs.

Dragonfly eggs are round and about .05mm long, whereas damselfly eggs are cylindrical and longer, about 1 mm long. Also, the nymphs (larvae) of the two groups differ. A larval damselfly abdomen is longer and narrower with three fin-like gills projecting from its end. Dragonfly nymphs are shorter and bulkier than the damselfly with the gills located inside the abdomen. Damselfly and dragonfly nymphs are not as brightly colored as the adults, but are well camouflaged predators that ambush their prey. Most of their lives are spent in the larval stage where they molt from six to fifteen times, depending on altitude and latitude. Larval development varies from the more common one to two years to as many as six years. When ready, the nymph crawls up and out of the water and molts one last time, emerging from its old skin as an adult with functional wings. Unlike butterflies and beetles, dragonflies and damselflies do not have an intermediate pupa stage before becoming an adult. As with grasshoppers, because of this incomplete or gradual metamorphosis, Odonata are said to be hemimetabolous.

Both dragonflies and damselflies have large heads with very large compound eyes relative to the rest of their bodies. Each eye is composed of nearly 28,000 individual units and together the eyes cover most of the head. However, most dragonflies’ eyes touch, or nearly touch at the top of the head while the damselfly’s eyes are clearly separated. As an adult, the dragonfly’s body is stout and the wings extend to each side while it is perched. The adult damselfly body is slender by comparison and its wings are held above the body while at rest. Amazingly, 80% of their brains are devoted to analyzing visual information. With tiny antennae and mouths adapted for biting, they make efficient hunters. All Odonata have a prehensile labium which can be extended forward from underneath their heads faster than most prey can react, making their bite fatal.

One cannot help but be mesmerized watching these beautiful insects maneuver in their environment. Dragonflies can fly forward at about 100 body-lengths per second and backwards at about 3 body-lengths per second. They are also capable of hovering in the air for about 1 minute. Predators themselves, they possess exceptional visual responses and are truly agile in flight, help them avoid falling victim to larger predators such as birds, lizards, frogs, spiders, fish, water bugs and even other dragonflies. Generalists themselves, they will eat whatever suitable prey is abundant. They are capable of hunting in groups, where large numbers of termites or ants are flying - or near swarms of mayflies, caddisflies or gnats. Ants seem to be the main staple of adult Odonates diet. Dragonflies are limited by cold weather regarding hunting where the damselflies are not and have been observed hunting during cold spells. Additionally, dragonflies are much more susceptible to pollution than damselflies, affecting the distribution of larvae. A reminder that what happens upstream affects all living matter downstream.

The Odonata are known to be ancient insects belonging to the group called Protodonata, which fell into extinction right around the time the dinosaurs began to appear. The earliest fossils so far discovered come from sediments in Europe formed about 325 million years ago. Like today’s dragonflies, Protodonata were fast flying, spiny legged insects but unlike modern day dragonflies, they had an amazing 30 inch wingspan.

So, after you put away the beach towels till the next time and before the summer gets away from you, come to Fairview Farm to stroll around URWA’s pond. Leave your cell phone home and bring a camera, bring your binoculars and bring your family. And remember - Lucky the passerby, who garners the chance, to witness the magic of the dragonflies dance.

For more information on Odonata, please visit these sites:

• Tree of Life Odonata
• Dragonfly at the Open Directory Project
• Identification key to dragonflies found in Ireland
• Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of the United States
• Dragonflies and damselflies on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site

Pictures were taken by Jim Gilbert

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