Friends in my garden- 66

Dragonflies

Scarlet Grenadier- Lathrecista asiatica

I understand that Dragonflies were among the first winged insects to evolve some 300 million years ago. These dragonflies that we see around now have wingspans of only two to five inches and are no comparison to the fossil dragonflies with wingspans up to two feet!
Here are some more interesting facts about dragonflies along with the pictures of these friends from my garden-
Dragonflies don’t sting or bite; they don’t carry diseases or germs. They are colorful and have amazing ways of flying. The flying skills of the dragonflies have inspired scientists and engineers to make flying robots, drones and helicopters.
They need water bodies to complete their life cycle. The larvae are aquatic and stay in water for one or two years! But the adult stage lasts only for a few months.
Dragonflies are natural pest control devices, so to say. A dragonfly can eat hundreds of mosquitoes in a single day. They catch the prey while in flight.
Watching dragonflies, similar to birding, is called ‘oding’ which comes from the order ‘Odonata’ to which they belong.
According to some folklore, seeing swarms of dragonflies signifies impending rain. For some cultures, dragonflies represent good luck and prosperity, especially when it lands on one’s head 🙂

Wandering glider- Pantala flavescens

Fulvous forest skimmer- Neurothemis fulvia

Scarlet marsh hawk (female)- Aethriamanta brevipennis