VIEW ON NATURE
DAMSELS IN DRESS
By: Stephen L. Wendt
Once in a while, Nature sparkles. Its always in a moist place —a wetland, pond, creek, or a slow-moving river where I glimpse glints of iridescent and color. That’s where the magic known as damselflies lives.
To me, no other life form harkens summer like these uniquely dainty group of colorful insects. They are related to dragonflies, the subject of my earlier ENDEAVOR article. but differ in distinct ways. Whereas dragonflies have stockier bodies and spread their double wings flat when resting, damselflies are much more slender and dainty, and close their winds upright when at rest.
The current inventory of damselflies by the VA Department of Conservation and Recreation shows Virginia to be host to one of the most diverse damselfly environments of any state or province in North America with 55 documented damselflies species!
Damselflies look primitive because their lineage is. Fossil records show prehistoric species similar to today’s species, but much larger.
Their colors range from dull camouflage and beautiful sky blues and reds, to shiny metallic greens. They also widely range in size from minute 3/4 inch to large 7 1/2 inches.
Damselflies are mostly found near shallow, still or slow moving freshwater marshes, wetlands, ponds, creeks and rivers. I’ve always enjoyed watching these graceful insects unusually slender bodies bobbing in flight with every flap. I’ve marveled at these remarkably thin, graceful, slender insects, especially the sky blue or metallic green ones effortlessly flutter, as if immune to gravity, alight upon my fishing pole.
Damsels spend the majority of their lives in water. They lay their eggs in or near water. The hatched, growing larvae go through repeated molts, thriving mostly on the larvae of other insects. Depending on the species, they reach adulthood in as little as three weeks or as long as eight years.
Adult damsels typically live for a month or longer. During the adult (flying) stage, damsels as aerial predators, feast on other insects, culminating in mating, and finally laying eggs. Due to their flight patterns and other behavior, adults largely avoid most predators, except some birds.
These daytime (diurnal) insects are highly beneficial predators throughout their lives. They devour mosquito and other harmful insect larvae as swimming larvae; and skillfully consume large numbers of flies, gnats, mosquitoes, and other biting insects as flying adults. These beautiful, unique damsels do not bite, sting or pose any danger pose no danger to humans. They are harmless, despite some myths suggesting otherwise.
For example, folklore of the damselfly identifies this insect as the 'Devil's darning needles’. It says if you go to sleep by a stream on a summer's day, especially if you are a liar or misbehave, damselflies will use their long, thin bodies to sew your mouth or eyelids shut! Luckily being true to my word and character, I still see and speak clearly.
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The ENDEAVOR News Magazine. Unless otherwise noted, photographs are courtesy of the Annandale Chamber of Commerce photographic archive, Wikipedia, and private collections with all rights reserved.
(Copyright © 2012 Annandale Chamber of Commerce. All rights reserved. (Photographs & images, on this page, and on this website, are not available for use by other publications, blogs, individuals, websites, or social media sites.)
Blue Damselfly
Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly
Large Red Damselfly
Dawn on Difficult Run
Photo taken by the author.
Photo credit: Stephen L. Wendt with all rights reserved.
(Copyright © 2012 Annandale Chamber of Commerce. All rights reserved. (Photographs & images, on this page, and on this website, are not available for use by other publications, blogs, individuals, websites, or social media sites.)
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