Have a read of this amazing report on Dragonflies by Clodagh.
It contains amazing facts, some myths and a lovely poem.
Clodagh also include many images of the dragonfly to support her writing.
What a well researched report!
Well done, Clodagh.
Dragonflies
Dragonflies are flying insects belonging to the order of Odonata.
Adult Dragonflies have 3 distinct parts – the head, the thorax and the abdomen. They have 2 sets of wings, 2 antennae and 6 legs!
Dragonflies come in many different colours such as pink, blue, red and green.
Dragonflies have 2 sets of wings that work separately from each other. This means Dragonflies can fly in any direction, including sideways and backwards, and can hover in a single spot for a minute or more. They are also very fast and some can fly as fast as 18 miles per hour!
A Dragonfly's head is all eyes!!!
Their compound eyes ( see photo) have up to 50,000 individual lenses. Dragonflies have almost 360 degree vision which means they are brilliant at catching their prey.Dragonflies can see more colour in the world than most other animals.
Adult Dragonflies lay their eggs in water!!! When the eggs hatch these baby Dragonflies are called Nymphs and they live underwater. Nymphs have gills to breath. To become a grown up Dragonfly the Nymphs have to come out of the water. Then they can shed their skin and show there wings! And after all of that they are finally an adult Dragonfly! Unfortunately adult Dragonflies can only live up to 2 weeks.
Fun Facts
In some cultures, if a Dragonfly lands on your head,
it is actually considered good luck!
One Native American myth suggests that dragonflies were originally dragons.
A coyote tricked a dragon into shape shifting, and it couldn’t change back.
As a result, the dragonfly symbolises change, speed, and illusion.
Dragonfly Myths
Dragonflies were known as snake doctors because they can bring dead snakes back to life. [Myth]
Dragonflies have huge stingers and some people are allergic to their stings and can die. [Myth – dragonflies cannot bite humans. Their teeth are not strong enough to break the skin]
In the old days, Dragonflies would seek out bad kids and sew their mouths together with their claspers while they slept. Dragonflies were known as the devil’s sewing needles. [Myth – dragonflies don’t have pockets to carry the thread to the beds of sleeping wicked children.]
