Posted on 07/09/2005 5:07:41 AM PDT by Pharmboy
In the bug-eat-bug environment of the Adirondacks, a dragonfly turns out to be one of the best little friends a human being can have. Mainly, dragonflies eat flies and mosquitoes. Anything that keeps flies and mosquitoes from feeding on humans in the north woods qualifies as a force for good, and the adult dragonfly is supposed to eat something like 20 flies or mosquitoes an hour.
They are, in fact, nature's answer to the electric backyard zappers, which bring to the great outdoors all the ambience of a dentist's office.
This July, for reasons that the state's bug scientists have not yet quantified, there are a lot of dragonflies. Squadrons of them. More of them, it seems, than usual.
"That's a good sign," explained John Sheehan, communications director of the Adirondack Council. Mr. Sheehan, whose group warns against all kinds of environmental or other hazards affecting the park, explains that the dragonfly is an indicator species. More of them means a better ecosystem, generally.
The particular dragonfly that has been so plentiful in recent weeks is called the chalk-fronted corporal...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
I hate the Times.
They write for their faithful...for them, EVERYTHING is gay, even some insects. LOL!
"Anything that keeps flies and mosquitoes from feeding on humans in the north woods qualifies as a force for good..."Oh really? Can you say DDT Eleanor?
Nah..... didn't think so.
I figure it means there was a good hatch of dragonflies this year.
Good point. At any rate, biological systems have natural cycles which do not necessarily mean that the end is near if one species has fewer individuals for one year.
Minnesota?
I thought I'd google an image of a green darner out of curiosity and lo and behold I find hardcore porn!
Male green darners catch the females behind the head with specially adapted
pincers. For insemination, she will curve her tail up to accept his secondary
penis (it’s a complicated process), and they’ll fly in a loop. Then, while she lays
her eggs on submerged vegetation, he will continue to hold on to her, so no
other male can add sperm to compete with his. The young dragonflies are
predators under water; the adults eat flying insects. Photo by Jim Flynn/Root
Resources.
I also usually have very few mosquitoes, but due to continous heavy rain, have many more this year. This one does not have the irridescent blue wings of dragonflies I've seen elsewhere in the Appalachians.
I bet it is, having two penises and all.
I don't think the chalk corporals are as big as the ones that come later (green darners), although I am merely an observer.
anyone have the bugmenot password?
My daughter is getting married this summer. Her "totem" is the dragonfly. It's very appropriate for her.
When I walk my dog in the evenings, inevitably a flight of dragonflies provides close air support and maintains a sky cap within about a 50' orbit of us. We can walk a mile out and back, and they follow us the whole way, no doubt preying on the mosquitoes attracted to us. Of course some mosquitoes still get through...
And congratulations!
My daughters have always been petrified of dragonflies no matter how many times I tell them they're harmless to humans. I guess it's their size...
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