For the random theme today I am covering Dragonflies. I find them to be amazing insects and just love to sit and watch them zoom around and skimming the water at breakneck speeds. If you look at them up close you can see why they were called dragonflies. Imagine seeing a giant dragonfly coming towards you.
Darner Dragonflies (Aeschnidae) is South Africa's largest dragonflies and grow to a length of 40 - 80 millimetres and a wingspan of up to 140mm. They are aggressive predators and feed on other dragonflies and insects.
Skimmer Dragonflies (Libellulidea) are found throughout South Africa and is the most common family of dragonflies. They feed on other insects and grow to a size of 15 - 35 millimeters long.
The Damselfly (Zygoptera) is also found throughout South Africa. The difference between dragonflies and damselflies is that the damselfly's wings are folded back above the abdomen when at rest while the dragonfly's are held horizontally. Damselflies can be found in bright blue, red and yellow colours.