Page 33 - Kyalami Issue 2 2021

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
St Leger Dam.
Broad Scarlet male

encasing 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 Red Veined Dropwing
hundreds depending on the species. Water
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 Violet Dropwing male Mating Maisai Sprites
expect to live for around two months 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.
Dragonfly species identified to date at
St Leger Dam are the Red-veined dropwing,
Violet dropwing, Highland dropwing and Broad
Scarlet. Damselfly species include the Masai
sprite, Slate sprite and Tropical bluetail. Tropical Bluetail Anthony Cavanagh at the dam

Kyalami Estates • CONNECT • Issue 2 2021 31