Dragonflies, those elusive little creatures with paper thin wings reminds one of the fairy goddesses, livening up the edges of ponds with their buzzing activity or perching daintily on water plants sticking up above the water surface…..here are a few interesting facts about them…
 Trumpet Tail (Acisoma panorpoides).
Difficult to distinguish whether male or female as both are very similar. They have a weak and short flight. I spotted this dragonfly on a rainy day on the sidewalk where it sat for almost ten minutes before darting off into the vegetation.
|
Dragonflies belong to the Order Odonata and sub order Anisoptera and are characterized by large compound eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings and and an elongated body.
Although,dragonflies look simiar to damsel flies, they can be easily distinguished from the latter by the way they hold their wings. While the damsels hold their wings folded together and parallel to the body when resting, dragonflies hold their wings horizontally and perpendicular to the body or slightly down and directed forward. Further, while in damselfly the size of the fore and hind wings are the same, in dragon flies, the hind wings are more broad near the base.
Since dragonflies possess two sets of wings, they need not beat their wings simultaneously. They have the reputation of being one of the fastest insects in the world and can reach speeds of upto 100km/hr. In many ways their flight resembles that of an helicopter- flying forward, backward, up or down- and they also hover over a particular spot. Their compound eyes which take up most of their head region and contain thousands of individual lenses, are responsible for their excellent eyesight- they can detect the slightest movement and have a 360 degree field of vision on account of the way their eyes are positioned. They can also distinguish among coloured, ultraviolet and polarized light.
Dragonflies are found in around water bodies like ponds and streams as their larvae known as “nymphs” are aquatic .They mainly prefer freshwater free from pollutants. Thus, the abundance of dragonflies near a water body indicates that its ecosystem is in fairly good shape.
 | |||
Fulvous Forest Skimmer (Neurothemis intermedia).
This one is the male as it had deep reddish wings with red venation. The female is dull rusty brown in colour and can exist in various forms.They are found close to forested areas.This one was spotted at around mid morning and was sitting on a clothes line. It was so brilliantly coloured in hues of red that it looked like a large red clothes clip.
As in many other species of insects, the females are larger. After mating, the females lay dozens or even hundreds of eggs directly on the water or on floating plants on the water surface or in the mud or algal growth at the edge of the water. In order to lay the eggs on a suitable surface, some of the species submerge themselves completely. After hatching, an immature dragonfly or a nymph emerge which has tiny wings and a large lower lip, with which it catches mosquito larvae. Dragonflies may spend months or even years as nymphs. Underwater plants provide the nymphs with places to rest, hunt for food, and hide from predatory fish. They molt a number of times during their growth and when sufficiently big, they crawl out of the water. The adult dragonfly finally comes out from the skin of the nymph and stops growing. A fully grown adult generally has a lifespan of a few weeks. Most dragonflies return to their breeding ground when ready for mating. Dragonflies are strict carnivores both as nymphs as adults. They feed on small insects like bees butterflies, flies midges, gnats, ants and termites. The nymphs are extremely fast swimmers and even feed on tadpoles and small fish.
Common Picture Wing (Rhyothemis variegata).
This one is female as the black patches across the wings are very prominent. The male of this species has smaller irregular dark spots on the wings. It is a weak flier. This one was resting on the top of a bush and I had initially thought it to be a butterfly on account of its size and colouration.
|
Dragonflies are quite territorial and the males indulge in mid air duels, displaying their size and speed to each other, for establishing dominance over a terrritory. They are solar powered and need warm weather to fly. Therefore, if the tempereature is too low or the weather is too humid, they stay near the ground and hide in the vegetation. Some of the species are migratory and move to warmer regions at the end of summer.
These tiny creatures can be considered a blessing for mankind as they extensively feed on mosquitos during all the stages of their life cycle. Although dragonflies are found in abundance, some of the species are facing danger of extinction on account of habitat destruction and pollution.
The best time to observe and photograph these delightful creatures is during early morning or just after the rains. The moisture makes their wings heavy and they either hover close to the ground or perch in the vegetation for long periods and do not make any attempt to fly away even if photographed from a close range.
