There are 125 species of dragonflies that live in Georgia and 6000 species in the whole world. Dragonflies along with damselflies belong to the Odonata Order of insects. They are predatory insects during both their larval and adult stages. Dragonfly larvae are aquatic and crawl along the bottom of ponds and streams where they prey upon insects, snails, worms, tadpoles, and minnows. The larvae molt several times before emerging as adults. Adult dragonflies grab other flying insects such as butterflies and moths, flying ants, mosquitoes, flies, other dragonflies, bees, and even wasps. They use their spiny legs and mandibles to catch their prey. Some species of dragonflies, like some butterflies, migrate, but individuals don’t live long enough to reach the northern parts of their ranges. Instead, descending broods gradually expand their range north during spring and early summer, then during late summer and fall, the next generations migrate south.
Dragonfly lifecycle. They can fly like helicopters, hovering and flying backwards.
During the Paleozoic dragonflies reached astonishing size. Meganuera meganiseptera lived during the Permian Age about 300 million years ago and had a wingspan of 28 inches. This giant species of dragonfly perished during the end of Permian mass extinction when 96% of marine animals and 75% of land animals went extinct. Some scientists think insects can’t grow this large in modern atmospheric conditions because oxygen levels are much lower now than they were then. However, it’s more likely insects don’t grow that large today because they would be more vulnerable to bird predation.
Insects probably don’t grow this large today because they would be more vulnerable to bird predation.
Common species of dragonflies occurring in Georgia today include black saddle bags (Tramea lacerata), green darners (Anax junius), and eastern amber wings (Perithemis tenera). Black saddlebags grow up to 2 inches. I’ve seen these in my yard, far from water. Green darners, so named because they resemble darning needles, are even larger, reaching lengths of 3 inches. I see these nearly every time I walk along a marsh during the warmer months. Eastern amber wings are smaller, less than an inch, and they mimic wasps as a defense mechanism. They occur in swarms.
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