Boho Logo - Dragonfly

Let’s agree, some of the flying insects can be very annoying. Mosquitoes above them all, they buzz and bite, leaving itchy red welts. Bees and wasps sting painfully. Flies are … well, yuck. Dragonflies … there is something magical about dragonflies.
 

The dragonflies are a symbol of both water and air. They start their life in the water and then move into the air and fly. Because of its features and the way dragonfly can be comfortable on water, land as well as the air it symbolizes:

•       wisdom of transformation and adaptability in life,
•  change in the perspective of self realization,
•  living IN the moment and living life to the fullest

Things About Dragonfly You Might Not Know

·         Dragonflies are ancient beings. Long before the dinosaurs walked the Earth some 300 million years ago dragonflies were some of the first winged insects to evolve.

·         Dragonflies are expert fliers. They can fly backwards, straight up or down, they can stop and hover, make hairpin turns, at full speed, which can be amazing 45 miles an hour or in slow motion and move each of their four wings independently. The dragonfly flap its wings a mere only 30 times a minute while mosquitoes and houseflies need to flap their wings 600 and 1000 times a minute respectively.

·         Dragonfly vision is extraordinary. Dragonflies have huge, bulging eyes that occupy most of the head, giving some a field of vision approaching 360 degrees.

·         As nymphs, dragonflies live in the water.Young dragonflies, called larvae or sometimes nymphs or naiads, are aquatic and are as dedicated predators under the water as the adults are in the air.

·         Masters of the water and the air. After molting 9-17 times, the dragonfly crawls out of the water, then its exoskeleton cracks open and releases the insect’s abdomen, which had been packed in like a telescope. Its four wings come out, and they dry and harden over the next several hours to days before they become expert fliers.

·         Dragonflies are natural mosquito repellents. Dragonflies, which eat insects as adults, are a great control on the mosquito population. A single dragonfly can eat 30 to hundreds of mosquitoes per day.

·         Dragonflies are capable of thermoregulation. Dragonflies that patrol (fly back and forth, versus those that tend to perch) will fire up their wings, using a rapid whirring movement to warm up their bodies. Perching dragonflies rely on solar energy for warmth, but position their bodies skillfully to maximize the surface area exposed to the sun's rays. Some even use their wings as reflectors, tilting them to direct the solar radiation toward their bodies. Conversely, during hot spells some dragonflies will position their bodies to minimize sun exposure, and use their wings to deflect the sun.

 

       

  The word Dragonfly has its source in the myth that Dragonflies were once Dragons. In Croatian Dragonfly is called Vilin konjic, meaning Fairy horse