So, the time has come for the sun to shine brighter, for the bulbs to awaken from the soil, and for some animals, insects to stir from their long slumber over the winter. Admittedly, Spring and Summer are my favourite times of year. Life absolutely thrives at this time of year.
Butterfly season is well on its way. I can't wait to see more butterflies as well as raise them!! I completed quite an exciting project recently. I was successful on raising some dragonflies. To be more precise Broad-Bodied Chaser Dragonfly(Libellula depressa). It was an exciting, and a little tricky project.
Though Dragonflies are a terrestrial species, as nymphs they are aquatic. The eggs are laid in the water and the nymphs hatch, and when they are fully grown they climb up plants or reeds and shed their skin for the last time to become an adult( this can take 3-7 years, depending on temperature). I will write more information about dragonflies on a factsheet another time.
A few days ago, I released two of them into the wild. Have a look at the stunning beasts
The wings of the dragonfly are clear and the lines are the veins.
You can really see the large compound eyes on the sides of the head. Damselflies, another insect in the order of Odonata look very similar to dragonflies. The main differences between the two are......
Dragonflies have eyes that are closer together, whereas Damselflies' eyes are further apart
Dragonflies have broader or wider abdomens, but damselflies have stick thin abdomens
Damselflies have their wings set upright and tucked in, but all four of dragonflies wings are set out wide like a plane.
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