Page 29 - Dainfern Precinct Living 4 2021

NATURE

Have you ever watched the tiny
flying insects hovering over a

still body of water such as a
dam, a pond or even a puddle?
In this miniature world there
is a whole microcosm of life
that struggles to survive whilst

preying on anything smaller
than themselves and trying
to reproduce as quickly as

possible in their short lifespan.
Dragonflies and damselflies live
in this precarious environment
and can often be seen darting
around the periphery of ponds,

dams and lakes.

Broad Scarlet male

them in their legs, then bite their prey with
their well-developed mouth parts.

Adult dragonflies and damselflies often
fall victim to birds such as rollers and
bee-eaters and other unfortunates fly into
spiders’ webs with fatal consequences.

Both species lay their eggs in water, the
quantity of eggs varying from dozens to
hundreds depending on the species. Water Red Veined Dropwing
temperature often affects hatching and
some eggs laid late in the summer season
may only hatch into nymphs during the next
season. The nymphs then enter the larval
stage and remain in the water for some two
months in the case of small damselflies
and up to a year for the larger species. The
nymph sheds successive skins as it grows
until finally it emerges from the water where
it metamorphoses into an adult, leaving
behind the cast-off larval shell.

Life expectancy for an adult damselfly may
be only a month while adult dragonflies
may expect to live for around two months Violet Dropwing male Mating Maisai Sprites
although the larger dragonfly species may
survive for a whole summer.

In South Africa, dragonflies and damselflies
are seldom seen during the colder winter
months but during the warmer spring and
summer months they can be seen regularly
over ponds and lakes.

Some of the dragonfly species that we've
seen recently are Red-veined dropwing,
Violet dropwing, Highland dropwing and
Broad Scarlet. Damselfly species include
the Masai sprite, Slate sprite and Tropical
bluetail. Tropical Bluetail Anthony taking photos at a dam
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