I have frequent visitors to my New Jersey pond, dragonflies. I have always enjoyed the dragonfly and appreciated its unusual shape, wing design, and colors. It is an easy way to lose a few minutes of time watching the dragonfly go through its aerial acrobatics just above the surface of my pond. I get comfort knowing that the dragonfly is going to make a quick meal out of any annoying pest, like mosquitoes, that may be visiting my yard too. For me the dragonfly is a welcome site for my New Jersey water garden installation.
As with many things that have appeal to me, I always want to know a bit more so as usual I do a bit of research on things I like. I found some cool facts about dragonflies that I was not aware of, and confirmed some things I am aware of like the fact that the dragonfly is not actually a fly at all and that they have been around for a good 300 million years or so, give or take a decade. They pose absolutely no harm to humans and do not bite or sting, and their main food as an adult is the mosquito (YES!!), and they add tremendously to the ambience of a pond installation.
What I didn’t know is more: the dragonfly larvae, an aquatic insect, can spend up to 3 years in the water before its metamorphosis into the adult stage. The larvae are highly predatory, like the adult, and the larvae can actually capture and eat small fish. The dragonflies’ range is worldwide and more than 400 species exist, the largest found in Costa Rica with a 7” wing span, and in fossil records dragonflies have been found with 3 foot wing spans! Dragonflies can fly almost 30 mph hour, and their large eyes allow them to see almost 360 degrees, and they will patrol as high as tree tops to find their yummy meals. The male dragonfly is highly territorial and often when you see those 2 cute dragonflies “playing” with each other by your pond, it is actually a life or death struggle for the 2 males. Sad to learn is the hard fact that when you see an adult dragonfly it is in its final stage of life, and that final stage is only about a 3 week period.
So as you site by enjoying your beautiful water garden installation, or pondless waterfall installation and those beautiful dragonflies are lighting from plant to plant scouring the surface of your water, enjoy them, take a picture, as they will not be by your pond for long!