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| The largest of the dragonflies takes a breather from hunting |
The sight of this largest of the dragonflies would send ice through your veins if you happened to be a flying insect. It's harmless to humans, of course, and was just catching a ride on Raven's life vest while he was out fishing at camp last summer.
At about 3.5 inches in length, this sole member of the genus Hagenius can kill and eat wasps and hornets, creatures as large as Monarch butterflies, other species of dragonflies and even other Dragonhunters.
There are probably a hundred species of dragonflies in the Northern U.S. and Northwestern Ontario. Each has its specific habitat, time of emergence and prey preferences.
Some hunt from perches, darting out to catch a bug and then flying back. Others, like the Dragonhunter, fly a zig-zag pattern throughout their territory, ready to zoom-in on any other flying object.
All dragonflies spend most of their lives underwater as larva where they prey on other aquatic insects but also on minnows!
Depending on the species, dragonflies may spend years underwater as nymphs and only days or weeks as flying adults.
Dragonflies are really mankind's best friends as each of these beautiful winged marvels can consume hundreds of mosquitoes and gnats in a single day.
If you are interested in knowing more about the dragonflies of the North, including Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Northwestern Ontario, grab a copy of this book:
Dragonflies of the North Woods by Kurt Mead. It is published by Kollath-Stensaas Publishing of Duluth, MN. The ISBN is 0-9673793-6-9.
This book is part of the North Woods Naturalist Series and is a gem.
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