Dragonflies, with their mysterious name origin, are captivating and voracious predators, playing a crucial role in wetland ecosystems. These agile fliers and aerial hunters exhibit fascinating feeding habits throughout their life cycle, from aquatic nymphs to swift adult predators.
Dragonfly Life Cycle and Habitats
Dragonflies undergo three life stages: egg, larva (naiad), and adult. They inhabit diverse environments across every continent except Antarctica, thriving near clean, fresh water sources like ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands. Dragonflies are most active during the summer months. They spend most of their life cycle in their larval stage as “naiads” underwater before they grow their wings and emerge as adults. The dragonfly larva shifts to the edge of the water and learns to breathe in air. Then they’ll slowly push out from their old shell body to emerge as an adult dragonfly.
Nymph Diet: Aquatic Predators
Dragonfly nymphs, or naiads, reside in water, often among aquatic vegetation. These immature dragonflies are voracious predators, consuming virtually any animal small enough to capture. They lie in hiding until an unsuspecting prey swims by. To catch their food, they will lunge forward and catch their food into their mandibles. Larger dragonfly nymphs may even eat minnows or tadpoles. Their diet consists of:
- Aquatic insects
- Grubs
- Larvae
- Worms
- Small fish
- Tadpoles
- Small frogs
Nymphs possess a specialized mouthpart called a labium, which shoots out past their head to capture prey. They may also draw in, then expel water from their anus to generate force. Some species even attack small tree frogs by exploding out of the water. If you’re raising baby dragonflies, you can try feeding them daphnia, otherwise known as water fleas.
Adult Diet: Aerial Hunters
Adult dragonflies are equally opportunistic, preying on any insect they can catch midair. These agile fliers often create a basket with their legs to scoop up bugs and put them in their mouth without stopping. Other dragonflies simply open their mouths to catch food as they fly, while some glean their food, catching insects that perch above plant stems and leaves. Immature adults will even eat caterpillars hanging from trees.
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The adult dragonfly diet includes:
- Mosquitoes
- Midges
- Butterflies
- Moths
- Bees
- Flies
- Other dragonflies
Dragonflies have excellent sight and can see almost 360 degrees around themselves as they hunt. Adult dragonflies catch their prey in midair. They can catch smaller prey only using their jaws, or they can wrap up larger insects with their spiny legs. If the prey is small enough, they will eat their meal in midair. Otherwise, a dragonfly will fly to a perch and consume its prey while seated. Their normal method is to first bite the head of their prey, and then consume the rest of the body. However, they will usually discard unwanted body parts, such as the wings.
Hunting Strategies and Physical Adaptations
Dragonflies are equipped with several adaptations that make them efficient hunters. They possess huge compound eyes that take up most of the head, giving them incredible, panoramic vision. Each eye has thousands of lenses, allowing them to spot prey up to 12 meters away in any direction. Dragonflies are agile fliers and can use each of their four wings independently. This allows them to fly forwards, backwards and sideways. They can also hover in mid-air. Hawker dragonflies have a maximum speed of almost 30 miles per hour, making them one of the fastest insects.
Dragonflies in Captivity
Raising dragonflies can be a rewarding experience, but it requires careful attention to their dietary needs. When raising dragonflies, remember to only provide food that’s the same size or smaller than the dragonfly, and to replace uneaten food regularly.
Nymphs: Daphnia, insect larvae, worms, or small tadpoles and fish.
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Adults: Live mosquitoes, flies, gnats, bees, beetles, and even other dragonflies.
A typical dragonfly can eat up to a fifth of its one body weight each day, and some can eat even more. Adult dragonflies can be fed live mosquitoes, flies, gnats, bees, beetles, and even other dragonflies. They can eat dozens of mosquitoes in a single day, so make sure that you provide an adult dragonfly with enough food.
Cultural Significance and Ecological Importance
Many cultures have historically revered dragonflies. In Japan, the dragonfly symbolizes focused endeavor and vigilance because of its manner of moving up, down and sideways while continuing to face forward; Samurai warriors fashioned helmets in the shape of dragonflies, which were symbols of invincibility. To some Native American tribes, dragonflies symbolized spring and good harvests. Dragonflies are fascinating creatures and important indicator species for wetland ecosystems.
Dragonflies vs Damselflies
When dragonflies are at rest, their wings are spread out like an airplane. Damselflies are close relatives to the dragonfly. The main way you can tell them apart is how they look when they’re at rest.
Attracting Dragonflies
Dragonflies are beneficial insects that have been around for more than 300 million years. Not only are they fun to watch, these fast-moving fliers eat annoying insects like mosquitoes and flies. If you would like to attract them to you, or your gardens and yards, there are a few things that you can do.
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- Have water nearby. As aquatic insects, dragonflies are attracted to water, and if you wish to draw them in, have a water feature, like a pond or fountain.
- Plant Black-Eyed Susans and Meadow Sage. These flowers will not only attract dragonflies but other insects that they might snack on.
- Let sunshine in. As they are ectothermic, dragonflies love sunlight, which regulates their body temperatures.