A Dragonfly and Flowers in the Corner - Nature 84

Dragonflies are commonly seen fly over plants in our little garden at the corner from Spring to Fall. In our city, Baton Rouge, their peak seasons from July to September.

Image 1- A dragonfly in the corner

There are about 3,000 species of dragonflies in the world. Our state, Louisiana has about 118 species which are non-native and native species.

Some of dragonflies in our state are: Eastern pondhawks, Blue dashers, Common green darners, Red-veined darters, Great blue skimmers, Ebony jewelwings, Bluets, Forktail damselflies, and Meadowhawks.

Based on GoogleID, the above dragonfly (Image 1) was identified as the great blue skimmer (Libellula vibrans). This dragonfly is common seen to fly over rivers, lakes and ponds.

Image 2- The Alstroemeria psittacina flower, illustration

Interestingly the dragonfly can fly forward and backward with speed 35 miles per hour, and able to hover or making very sharp turns.

In the ecosystem, this critter is important to control mosquitoes which carry malaria.  You might surprise that a dragonfly may eat about 100 mosquitoes in a single day.

Image 3- The Virginia spiderwort flower, illustration

Do you know the number of dragonflies species in your areas?

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