Dragonflies by Moonlight Small Journal

The following description appears on the inside cover of your small journal.

DESCRIPTION

Dragonflies are an ancient order of insects; fossils resembling dragonflies date back 300 million years. These large slender insects are specialized hunters. Dragonflies have large compound eyes that nearly cover the entire head. Their 4 powerful wings move independently, enabling them to maneuver in an extraordinary fashion, backwards or forwards. Unlike other insects, dragonflies cannot fold their wings flat against their body; at rest their wings extend horizontally to the side.

Dragonflies mate in flight. Eggs are subsequently deposited in or close to water. These hatch into naiads, the immature aquatic form of the dragonfly. They capture insects, tadpoles, and small fish by extending a peculiar lower lip at lightning speed. When fully grown, the naiad crawls out of the water, splits the skin along the middle of the thorax…and the adult dragonfly emerges. Both naiads and adults are highly beneficial predators, consuming large numbers of mosquitoes.

Dragonflies, through their metamorphosis, remind us that our true colors take time to develop. Dragonflies are filled with light and color, they can help us see through our illusions and allow our own light to shine forth!

artwork by Linda Matusich

text by Steve Sierigk