ODG Summer 2026 (2) - Flipbook - Page 22
Dazzling Dragonflies
Bug Bytes Series
Donna Cottingham, Salisbury GC (P)
r
r so many impressive facts about dragonflies.
The e a e
y are incredibly stealthy hunters with great eyesight and can catch their
The
prey mid-air, with nearly a 100 percent success rate. That may not be
surprising for an insect that can fly up to 30 miles an hour
v r
v
and ho e , di e and da
r
D agonflie
Ad
rt using its four wings.
s are territorial carnivores always on the hunt for food.
ult females lay their eggs in fresh water, so dragonfly larvae are aquatic.
Lacking
wings, the stocky larvae look nothing like the beautiful adults but
possess the same stealth when it comes to hunting. They eat other
a
The
quatic larvae, aquatic beetles, and even small fish.
very best thing about dragonflies is that the larvae eat mosquito larvae in
the water. Then the adult dragonflies eat adult mosquitoes. In other words,
r
d agonflie
s spend their whole lives eating mosquitoes.
An ad
ult can eat 100 mosquitoes a day.
s
Con ide
r yourself lucky if you have
these beautiful flying jewels in your garden.
Photo by Donna Cottingham
22.
ODG Summer 2026
