
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, July 4, 1990                   TAG: 9007040338
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: EX4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: PATRICIA C. HELD
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

DRAGONFILES A THREAT ONLY TO OTHER INSECTS

I could hear them screaming across the pond. Two adults and a young child were paddling their canoe furiously and waving their paddles in a frantic attempt to fend off an attack.

Whatever could cause such panic? Two dragonflies, performing aeronautical feats.

Apparently, their flight pattern brought them too close for the canoeists' comfort.

I wanted to call out, "Dragonflies are harmless! Leave them alone." But from the sight of their panic-stricken faces, I was sure my information would not have allayed their fear.

Unfortunately, dragonflies do not have a very good reputation. Part of their problem is their looks. Their body parts all seem to be exagerated - extra-long bodies, protruding eyes and enlarged wings. Any one of these characteristics would be frightening enough.

On the other hand, dragonflies can be quite beautiful. They come in all colors, and few other insects can compare with the gracefulness of their flight. The poet Alfred Tennyson was so taken by these insects that he described them as "living flashes of flight."

Their nicknames, "darning needles" and "stingers," do little to enhance their popularity. But the animal's more proper name, the mosquito hawk, describes it perfectly. When it comes to their feeding habits, dragonflies are terrors of the skies. Dragonflies have been found with over 100 mosquitoes packed into their mouths.

They are described as "bloodthirsty carnivores" and have a fiendish appetite for mosquitoes, midges, blackflies, and many of the other pesky insects which appear around wet areas. Dragonflies have an endless appetite and capture other insects on the wing and devour them in flight. To capture their prey, dragonflies fold their long, spiny legs into a basket shape and scoop up their dinner as they fly by.

They are excellent predators primarily because of keen eyesight and adept flying abilities. They are able to distinguish shapes up to about 20 feet away and can see movement from as far away as 65 feet.

Their extra-long wings are strong and tough, which enables them to fly as fast as 30 mph. They have the ability to move like a helicopter and can change direction in the air with lightning speed. They can hover in one spot and then fly backwards.

Dragonflies are often spotted flying in tandem, a male and a female together in a mating flight. Afterwards the female lays her eggs in or near the water where they eventually hatch into nymphs. The nymphs have as voracious an appetite as their parents. They lay in wait in the muddy water for insect larvae, small crustaceans and tadpoles to swim by. Depending upon the species, these nymphs may spend as many as several summers in this stage before they metamorphose into adult dragonflies.

Despite their fierce eating habits, dragonflies are not dangerous to man. They can inflict a painful pinch if they are picked up and handled, but they cannot sting and are harmless.

Dragonflies perform a very valuable function around our waterways by controlling the insect populations that cause us the most discomfort. And, they also serve as an important part of the food chain for other small animals within their environment.

by CNB