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