Learn how to identify our amazing Irish dragonflies and damselflies
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Loading... - Anika White
- 27 May 2022
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If you visit a wetland between now and September, you should keep your eyes peeled for our ‘jewels’ of insects — the beautiful, brightly coloured dragonflies and damselflies.
These really are the most charismatic and intriguing of our insects. They have been around for 320 million years — both before and long after the dinosaurs disappeared. Their excellent body design — and engineer’s dream — hasn’t changed in all that time, except for their size. The largest dragonflies that once ruled the skies, before flying dinosaurs and birds, had a wingspan of 70cm, the same as a small hawk!
A little known fact about flying dragonflies is that they are thought to be one of the world’s most successful predators! Researchers have found that dragonflies succeed 95% of the time when they chase their prey — tiny midges, moths and flies, while birds of prey only have a 20-25% success rate, and even lions only succeed in 30% of hunts! This is down to their flying skills and excellent vision — with those massive compound eyes and a head that turns independently of their body. They are truly masters of thhe air. Read More...
