Page 39 - Silver Lakes June 2021
P. 39
NATURE
Red veined Dropwing male Violet Dropwing male
Mating Masai sprites
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
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.
Highland Dropwing male
INTRA MUROS JUNE 2021 37
