order: Odonta, family: aeschnidae
On many summer days on Governors Island, you can witness up to 20 dragonflies, lined up in a row, all at exactly the same body angle and posture – gracing the top of our snow fencing pickets. Position regulates body temperatures, either to gain or repel the heat of the day.
On occasion, our Outpost experiences a “cloud” of dragonflies circling and diving, flying sideways, backwards, up, down, or hovering in place, en masse, evoking an Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds scene. But a dreaded eerie ominous mood does not accompany this swarm, nay, this magical creature’s delicate and graceful poise inspires delight in Island visitors who pause and take in the dragonflies’ camaraderie.
These iridescent beauties can reach 45 miles per hour, making it the fastest flying insect in the world. Its’ compound eye can see 360 degrees. They dine on mosquitoes, flies and gnats, crushing them with their powerful mandibles (no teeth), giving this predator its nickname “the assassin.”
Dragonfly fossils date to 200 million years ago. The largest recorded wing span is 30” (!*@?). Required habitat- must live in or near a body of water where their eggs are laid. Hatched larvae live in the water before taking to the air.
We welcome the dragonfly’s help in keeping our Outpost’s insect ecosystem in balance during the height of the summer’s fertility frenzy.