Flight of the Dragons
Flight of the Dragons
By: Jon Hammond
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Posted by editor Tue Nov 30, 1999 00:00:00 PST
Viewed 674 times
0 responses 0 comments Now that we are in the prime days of summer this is the best time to observe one of the oldest animal orders still roaming the planet: Anisoptera, the Dragonflies.
These ancient insects are well-represented in the fossil record and they are estimated to date back 200 million years. The dinosaurs are gone (or have shrunk down into lizards) but dragonflies still patrol ponds and waterways.
The Tehachapi Mountains are home to at least a dozen species of dragonflies, and while ponds, lakes and streams are less than abundant, there are enough in the area to ensure that Kern County has a lot of dragonflies to watch.
And observing dragonflies is definitely one of the pleasures of summer.
For one thing, they are larger than most insects, with bodies that range from an inch to over 4 inches long, so it’s fairly easy to follow dragonflies with your eyes and see where they go and what they’re doing.
Two pairs of stiff translucent wings allow dragonflies to fly, and they are superb in flight — they are like the hummingbirds of the insect world, able to hover, fly backwards and dart about catching small prey insects on the wing. The United States Air Force spends billions trying to develop a plane that can move through the air like a dragonfly.
The dragonflies most commonly seen are males, which perch near standing water so that they are present to mate when a female comes to lay her eggs. A male dragonfly will stake out a territory and then land on vegetation and wait for either a female to woo or a rival male to chase off. They periodically leave their post to patrol for intruding males or to catch insects, but then will return again and again to the same few perches.
They seldom bother about males of other species, which of course aren’t competing for the same females, but when a rival that resembles themselves cruises by the homesteading males try to chase the newcomer away. This predictable aspect of dragonfly behavior makes it easy to observe them as they perch, patrol, chase outsiders away and then return to land again in the same place and wait vigilantly.
There are approximately 60 species of dragonflies in California representing seven different families.They all begin their lives as tiny eggs that the females deposit into water or mud. The little dragonflies, called nymphs, look like little insect-eating monsters — which they are! They live from three months to as long as three years beneath the water, catching other aquatic insects and devouring them. In order to grow, they must molt and emerge form their old shell. This happens 10 times or more.
When they at last mature, the final instar (larval stage) crawls out of the water onto a cattail stalk or other vegetation. Like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis, the adult dragonfly exits the shell of its former existence and takes wing, exploring its new surroundings and hawking insects.
Like summer itself, the adult dragonflies never last long enough: they only live for a matter of weeks once they become flying adults. They feed for a few weeks, mate when possible and then die, usually in the vicinity of the pond where they laid eggs (in the case of females) or at least fertilized them (if they were males).
So enjoy our dragonflies while you can. Like most of life’s beauty, they are fleeting and temporary.
Have a good week.
The Bottom Line
Friends and family gathered last week to say good-bye to Dave Buentempo, who died of a heart attack at age 49. Dave was a big-hearted, generous, fun-loving Tehachapi man who worked as free staff at CCI for years and made people laugh, smile and shake their heads his entire life. His was a boisterous, challenging, giving, chuckling, and loving spirit — now set free. Here’s to you, Dave. . .
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