Courtesy of BBC Earth Unplugged:
As I am anxious for Spring, publishing this post gives me the illusion that Spring is just around the corner.
The most thrilling Spring months, April and May, are marked by the emergence of Nature’s amazing creature – the dragonfly. The winter ponds, dull and seemingly dead, are shimmering with green life in Spring. One of the oldest pond inhabitants is the dragonfly, a species dating back 300 million years. They were already present in the Carboniferous coal forests, and the discovered fossils of insects looking like giant dragonflies were not like today’s much smaller insects. As the level of oxygen in the atmosphere at that time was much higher, it enabled dragonflies to grow huge with wingspans two feet long. At that time their wings were leathery and thick. It is believed that originally parts of the body membrane started protruding for different reasons but then developed into thick wings, as the prospect of flying above the tropical jungle’s greenery and into the sunlit air above became irresistibly attractive.
An ancient dragonfly suspended in amber.
Courtesy of Show Me The World:
With climate changes and the Earth’s tectonic plates movement, the dinosaurs disappeared but the dragonfly did not. Today there are more than 5,000 known species of dragonflies. They belong to the group Odonata, which means in Greek ‘toothed one’, on account of dragonflies’ serrated teeth. The large, multifaceted eye takes over almost the whole of the head, and it allows the dragonfly to see colours that we cannot see or even name. To compare – humans have three different colour receptors, red, blue and green, but some species of dragonfly have 30 different receptors. It is difficult to imagine how wonderfully colourful and dazzling is their visual world. Dragonfly vision covers every angle except right behind its head. I have a little instrument with a big lens shaped like a dragonfly eye on one end, and on the other side, through the viewfinder, you can see the multifaceted world that in some way resembles the world as seen by the dragonfly. The elongated, slender body and two pair of strong, transparent wings complements the dragonfly’s beauty.
There are three stages in the life cycle of a dragonfly. First the adult dragonfly finds a female and they mate, mostly in the air. The female lays hundreds of eggs in the water of a pond or a river. Each egg hatches into an aquatic larva, which lives submerged under water for at least two years, before metamorphosis and the adult dragonfly emerges. The interesting fact worth mentioning here is that the larva breathes through its bottom. An adult dragonfly doesn’t have the muscular power necessary to inflate lungs and it gets its oxygen through the spiracles on the side of the body. There is no resemblance between the adult dragonfly and its larval stage. At that time the larva will eat anything – tadpoles, other larvae, mosquitoes or even small fish. The larva is as hideously ugly as the adult dragonfly is beautiful. After two years the exoskeleton breaks open and the dragonfly crawls out, its abdomen extending up like a telescope that was packed inside the larva’s body. The four wings unfurl and within a few hours, or a bit longer, they dry out and harden. The exciting life of a dragonfly then can begin, and in quite a hurry as they don’t live beyond a year, although some of the species can live much longer.
Courtesy of Smithsonian Channel:
Dragonflies are tremendous pest controllers of the mosquito population. An adult dragonfly can eat about 100 mosquitos a day. The speed of the dragonfly is legendary as it is 56 kilometres (35 miles) per hour. Their air acrobatics are also remarkable as they can fly forward, backward, upside-down or hover.
Courtesy of BBC Earth Unplugged:
The dragonfly called The Globe Skimmer has the longest migration of any insect; it travels 11,000 miles back and forth across the Indian Ocean. Other dragonflies are known to hike a lift on the masts of ships crossing the oceans, safe in the folds of their sails, and no doubt, enjoying the wing-saving journey and the warm winds.
The mysterious change from a beast into a beauty has made the dragonfly a universal symbol of spiritual transformation, adaptability, self-realisation and greater change; an understanding of the deeper meaning of life, that goes beyond what’s on the surface. The spiritual symbolism and the beauty of the joyful darting of the dragonfly above shimmering waters have inspired many composers to portray the dragonfly’s flight in their music. My favourite is Frederic Chopin’s ‘The Dragonfly’, Prelude in B Major, Op. 28 No.11 , performed here by Seong-Jin Cho:
Other pieces include Josef Strauss ‘The Dragonfly”, Op.204, and Dimitri Shostakovich’s “The Dragonfly and the Ant.”
Here is archive footage of the legendary ballerina, Anna Pavlova, expressively performing “The Dragonfly”, which she choreographed herself. The music is ‘Schön Rosmarin’ by Fritz Kreisler. Courtesy of John Hall:
Many poets also wrote about dragonflies; here is one poem written by Alfred Lord Tennyson:
The Dragon-fly
Today I saw the dragon-fly
Come from the well where he did lie.
An inner impulse rent the veil
Of his old husk; from head to tail
Came out clear plates of sapphire mail
He dried his wings; like gauze they grew,
Thro’ crofts and pastures wet with dew,
A living flash of light he flew.
My favourite painting of the dragonfly is the second picture shown at the start of this post. It is by a wonderful German painter, Ludger Tom Ring the Younger. He and his family all painted and lived in 16th century Munster.
There has to be something very special about this magical, beautiful creature, the dragonfly, ‘the living flash of light’, that has achieved immortality by inspiring creativity in a different species, us – humans. I can only bow low in total admiration.
Courtesy of CBS Sunday Morning:
“Autumn Music 2” by Max Richter:
naturetails 
what a delight to be inspired by dragonflies: as magical as butterflies🦋😊thanks for the lovely sharing. your posts always leave such a good taste in the mind❤️💝🥰
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Thank you for your wonderful comments! Your kind words are greatly appreciated!
Joanna x
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I too love dragon flies and they among their likeness are some of my favorite pieces of summer jewelry. I thought you might compare dragon flies to damsel flies which are must less mentioned in the US than I have noticed in the UK. I love the story of the hitchhiking Globeskimmers and wonder what they do now that sailing ships are much scarcer. Great share, Joanna.
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Thank you, Pat, for your lovely comments! I am glad that you like the beautiful insect, dragonfly, too!
Joanna
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You are very welcome, Joanna.
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One can only respect and admire a creature that has existed for such a vast expanse of time and through so many changes of environment. A real survivor. Also very beautiful. I had one of those dragonfly lenses once. I must say I’m glad I only have double vision! But how I would love to see all those other colours. Nature is truly amazing. Being able to see a butterfly morph from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis and then take flight was one of my favourite experiences. I would love to see a dragonfly do it but we are not near water. Still, I hope to see them in the garden this year. Thank you for this lovely piece with videos, music and pictures!
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Thank you, Carolyn, for your beautiful comments! All your thoughts are much appreciated!
Joanna
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I remember one time, more than a decade ago, when I saw a dragonfly atop a vertical stalk. As I watched, it surged out into the air faster than I could follow, grabbed an insect that was flying by, returned to its perch, and began eating its prey.
As children in New York, we called dragonflies “darning needles.” I think we believed that those “needles” would stick us, even though that’s not the case.
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Thank you, Steve, for your interesting comments which are greatly appreciated!
Joanna
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I love all of this great information, Joanna. Wow, 2 years is a long time before metamorphosis and the adult dragonfly emerges. And wild it breathes through it’s bottom. It sure takes forever to get a photo of them. Music, poems and beautiful photos! 💗
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Thank you, Cindy, for your wonderfully interesting comments which are greatly appreciated!
Joanna
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I have always loved dragonflies but never knew much about them. Thanks for sharing!
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Thank you, Diana, for your kind comments which are greatly appreciated! It is a pleasure to write my posts with readers like you!
Joanna
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My totem animal! Love seeing the fossil.
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Over 5,000 species of dragonflies??!! That’s incredible to me. I would have guessed maybe 200 or so.
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Thank you, Neil, for your kind comments! It is good to be surprised sometimes as knowledge is power!
Joanna
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Thank you, Dorothy, for your kind comments which are greatly appreciated!
Joanna
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The dragonfly is such a beautiful and fascinating creature! Thanks, dear Joanna, for sharing so many interesting facts about it. The video of the larva transforming is wonderful!
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Thank you, dear Harini, for your wonderful comments! Your kind words are deeply appreciated!
Joanna x
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Your posts are always such a pleasure to read Joanna. Like most people, I like watching dragonflies hovering around a pond or stream. They seem to evoke lazy summer days when the world seems to be at peace with itself.
Your knowledge of these colourful insects is remarkable and the fabulous images and videos are brilliant as always. Roll on the summer!
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Thank you, Malc, for your wonderfully kind and perceptive comments! I can hardly wait for spring or summer, so despite the stormy weather here, I will follow this one with more posts about sunshine.
Joanna
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Can’t wait Joanna!
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Thank you, Malc!
Joanna
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Joanna,
Like Steve Schwartzman, I was a New York resident and in the upstate rural areas. The term “darning needles” was a fearful threat as a youngster who watched these airborne daredevils do their maneuvers.
Your description of their life cycle was new to me. I also was not aware of their pre-historic ancestors large size. – I never stop learning. I especially enjoyed the videos of their flight. Thanks for an educational and beautiful post. Stewart
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Thank you, Stewart, for the wonderfully interesting and kind comments!
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Thank you, Stewart, for your wonderfully interesting and kind comments which are much appreciated!
Joanna
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Thank you, Joanna, for this wonderful post on dragonflies—fascinating creatures that have existed for nearly 300 million years. As you rightly pointed out, while mighty animals like dinosaurs went extinct, dragonflies have thrived, with over 5,000 species still in existence.
It’s astonishing to learn that they possess 30 colour receptors compared to just three in humans. I also read that adult dragonflies breathe through specialised tubes called spiracles.
Your narration of the dragonfly’s life cycle was truly engaging. Their speed and acrobatic skills are remarkable, making them agile hunters that feed on a variety of prey, including flying insects, insect larvae, crustaceans, worms, leeches etc. I was particularly intrigued by your mention of an adult dragonfly consuming around 100 mosquitoes per day.
The poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson was a beautiful touch. I also appreciated the captivating footage of Anna Pavlova, along with the other audio, video, and images you included. Thank you once again for your time and dedication in creating such an engaging and informative post.
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Such a fabulous post, Joanna. I too am looking forward to spring which according to ancient calendars is only a few days away (1st February, my next post). This year I have re-joined the local wildlife group and besides spotting butterflies, which I can mostly identify, I would like to spot dragonflies too, which I cannot name! Thank you for another wonderful post. 💌🤗🌹🙋♂️
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Thank you, Kaushal, for your wonderfully analytical comments! As I said, I am determined to overcome the terrible weather here and publish more posts with plenty of sunshine. Your kind words made my day and lifted my spirits! Thank you!
Joanna
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Thank you, Ashley, for your wonderful comments which are much appreciated! I am looking forward to your next post!
Joanna
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You’re always welcome, Joanna! For us, spring starts early, i.e. from the day of Basant Panchami, which falls this year on 2nd February. Stay blessed with nature and sunshine!
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Thank you, Kaushal, for your gracious reply!
Joanna
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Joanna, such a dazzling post! It brought back memories of floating down the Shenandoah River in an inner tube among dozens of blue and green dragonflies. They were a source of endless fascination!
Here in Florida, squadrons of much larger dark-colored dragonflies flew above our yard at our old house, devouring mosquitos. They were a welcome sight.
As always, after reading your well-researched posts, I come away with new historical, cultural, and scientific knowledge about the subject. I wish I could see all the colors dragonflies see!
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Thank you, Cheryl, for your wonderful comments! I am glad that you are back and well. You kind thoughts are much appreciated!
Joanna
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Wow Joanna, I’m blown away by these amazing dragonfly facts. Thanks for sharing this fascinating post. You’ve got me loving these gorgeous creatures even more 🙏🙌
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Thank you, Ritish, for your wonderful comments! Your kind thoughts are much appreciated!
Joanna
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I love dragonflies and I love your post! Thank you for the photos, music and all the information.
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Thank you so much, Punam, for your wonderful comments which are deeply appreciated!
Joanna
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As always I found your information extremely interesting. I did not know much of what you wrote about dragonflies and I found it fascinating.
In addition to the wonderful news, pictures, music and videos, I confess that Anna Pavlova’s ballet left me breathless💝💝💝
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You are very welcome, dear Joanna.
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Thank you, dear Luisa, for your wonderful comments! Your kind thoughts are much appreciated!
Joanna x
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You are more than welcome, dear Joanna!
I meant every word!🙏💝🙏
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Thank you!
Joanna x
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I am intrigued by how dragonflies have receptors that allow them to see so many more colors than humans. I would love to see that device you speak of that simulates what dragonflies see. I have been fascinated by dragonflies for a long time. I really enjoyed your post, Joanna.
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Thank you, LuAnne, for your wonderful comments! You can get the little instrument I have described on Amazon. Thank you again, your kind words are greatly appreciated!
Joanna
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I love dragon flies too – I never knew about the larva stage and how long it lasts! I learned so much from you again – and always so creatively taught! Quite fascinating.
I managed once to take a photo of one on the end of my finger, but only because it had dew all over its wings and wasn’t able to fly away yet. (I just looked for the photo, but haven’t found it yet.)
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Thank you, Dawn, for your wonderful comments which are greatly appreciated!
Joanna
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A living flash of light is perfect, especially when you play the idea over in your mind against that first, remarkable picture.
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Thank you, Susy, for your kind comments which are greatly appreciated!
Joanna
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Joanna my dear, thank you for sharing this beautiful presentation about the dragonfly. Growing up we always saw so many of them and their name made some fear this incredible insect. I love the spiritual symbolism of a dragonfly (hope, rebirth, transformation). Once again my friend, you delivered a well designed message! Have an awesome day! 🌞💖😍
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