I don’t know if it’s just me, but has anyone else noticed that the dragonflies this summer are absolutely massive?
The other day, I was walking up to my parents’ front door when I looked up and immediately stopped. Right above the door were two dragonflies just hanging out, and they were HUGE. Honestly, I think they were the biggest dragonflies I’ve ever seen.
Naturally, I had to take a picture because I knew no one would believe me. But, as usual, the picture doesn’t do it justice. Isn’t that always the way? Whether it’s a beautiful sunset, the mountains, or apparently giant dragonflies, the camera just doesn’t capture what your eyes are seeing. In the picture they look like regular dragonflies, but trust me, they were enormous.
For a split second I wondered if they’d somehow doubled in size this year, or if I’d just never really paid attention before. So I asked my mom.
Without even thinking, she said, “They’re big because the mosquitoes are big.”
Well… that actually made a lot of sense.
The mosquitoes have been absolutely ridiculous this summer. I don’t know what they’re feeding those things, but they’re huge too. You can hear them coming before you even see them, and it feels like they can bite right through your clothes. If you’ve tried spending any amount of time outside lately, you’ve probably donated a litre of blood already. My poor 6 year old’s legs! The mosquitoes love him, just like they loved me when I was little, and they are everywhere! I swear only the Deep Woods Off spray works.
As it turns out, dragonflies are incredible mosquito hunters. A single dragonfly can eat dozens—even hundreds—of mosquitoes in a day. So if there’s a bumper crop of giant mosquitoes this year, I guess the dragonflies are basically living at an all-you-can-eat buffet. No wonder they’re looking so healthy!
I’m pretty sure I learned that in school at some point, but like a lot of useful facts, it had completely disappeared from my brain until my mom reminded me.
So now I’m curious… am I the only one who’s noticed this? Have you seen some giant dragonflies this summer, or is it just around my parents’ place? Either way, if they’re helping with the mosquito population, they are most definitely welcome to stick around.
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