Dragonfly. Photo Boris Smokrovic/Unsplash
If you’ve spent much time outdoors along the east coast of Australia in the past week, particularly near waterways, you’ve probably seen something quite interesting emerging: dragonflies, whether in ones and twos or what feel like clouds and swarms.
Where did they come from? What are they up to? And why are there so many dragonflies all of a sudden?
Why are there so many dragonflies around?
The short answer is the weather. A warm start to spring has meant a lot of dragonfly nymphs have decided it’s a good time to take the leap into adulthood. Adult dragonflies are the highly visible winged predators we see buzzing around everywhere at the moment.
In cities, where bodies of water may be relatively small – think ponds and creeks rather than lakes and rivers – water temperatures rise more quickly as winter ends. When the weather is warmer, dragonflies may emerge earlier in the year.
