Dragons in my Garden



Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis), female




Not fire-spitting dragons, but attractive and graceful dragonflies, they are predators in the sky catching insects while flying.
Completely harmless to humans, they are a gardener's friend!

Here are pictures of some of the dragonflies visiting Myrtle Glen:

Seaside Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax berenice)


The dragonfly (scientific name 'odonata') is a prehistoric insect,  the oldest fossil of a dragonfly is over 300 million years old.





Today we have about 5,000 different species of dragonflies all over the world (including damselflies) except in the polar regions.


Eastern Amberwing (Perithemis tenera)

Like tiny living helicopters with huge multifaceted eyes (up to 30,000 individual lenses), two pairs of strong transparent wings (they are able to hover, fly backwards and fly loopings), and a great appetite for mosquitoes.


Red Saddlebag Dragonfly (Tramea onusta)


Dragonflies need a body of water for their young, since nymphs (their larvae) are aquatic predators feeding on mosquito eggs, tadpoles and even small fish.


laying eggs


Most of a dragonfly's life is spent in the larval stage which may last up to five years for some of the larger dragonflies, while adults may just live up to four months.


Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis), just hatched




 In Japan, dragonflies are symbols of courage, strength and happiness

Haiku at Marie Selby's Botanical Gardens



12 comments:

  1. Lovely to see so many in your garden - they are rather special aren't they - I always feel kind of honoured when they visit me.

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  2. I agree, it is special to me as well. I love taking pictures of dragonflies, their wings are so amazing. Some let me get close for taking pictures, almost as if they are posing.

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  3. love the dragons!! (and damsels, too!) This past summer there were TONS of DF here....so many you couldn't count on some times.

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  4. I love dragonflies. One of the benefits I didn't count on when I built the fish pond was the dragonflies that now visit. I love seeing them. Great pics. It's amazing how many different kinds there are, isn't it?

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  5. Das sind ja sehr schöne Aufnahmen von deinen
    Libellen im Garten

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  6. I don't often see dragonflies in my garden; my loss! I had no idea they could live up to 5 years in the larval stage! Your photos are wonderful. Thanks for the close-up look at these fascinating creatures.

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  7. Lovely! I love dragonflies - and they don't visit my garden enough! That is fascinating about how long they live in the larval state and that they even eat small fish.

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  8. Wonderful light and details in these images.

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  9. What beautiful photos. I love dragonflies. We get them occasionally in the garden, but I used to see them regularly where I worked, as it was close to a river. Thanks for visiting my blog, by the way.

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  10. Awesome pictures, i can never get them to hold still long enough .

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  11. Thanks for stopping by, this is your first comment, I hope to get more comments from you ;-)

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