Do dragonfly larvae eat fish7/29/2023 ![]() But what is the dragonfly’s favorite food? When it comes to details about the dragonfly, there is a lot of information out there. But whatever the reason, if you see a monarch resting on a milkweed plant in mid-summer, there’s a good chance there will be a dragonfly sitting nearby watching it. Possibly it has something to do with the toxins in their bodies (see this previous post). It’s not clear why monarchs often stop and rest on milkweed plants. And on top of that, they often stop and rest on plants, giving the dragonfly a chance to sneak up on them while they’re not paying attention. They fly slowly and erratically, making them easy to catch. They’re big, so one dragonfly can fill up on just one monarch. Monarch butterflies are among their favorite prey. They may be best known for their ability to catch mosquitoes, but they eat a wide variety of other insects too. Do dragonflies eat monarch butterflies?ĭragonflies are formidable predators that catch and eat other flying insects in flight. Dragonflies can be found near bodies of water from spring through fall in most parts of the world.īecause dragonflies are voracious consumers of flying insects, many gardeners like to keep them around to control mosquito populations. Dragonflies have a long abdomen extending past their wings when at rest, whereas damselflies fold their wings over their abdomen. “This work is important because it gives resource managers, policy-makers, scientists and the public information to better understand mercury as it is processed in the environment and its impact on public health and wildlife,” said Ralph Perron, air quality specialist.Dragonflies are large, brightly colored insects that are often mistaken for damselflies. “The site-specific biosentinel approach utilizing dragonfly larvae can provide more robust estimates of risk of mercury contamination,” said Nelson. As mercury travels through the atmosphere, it interacts with various environmental processes, which can differ greatly from site to site. ![]() It gets into the air from coal-fired power plants, smoke from burning municipal and medical waste, factories that use mercury and active volcanoes. Mercury is one of the most toxic environmental contaminants and is harmful to both humans and wildlife. “Their mercury levels are well correlated with those in fish, linking dragonflies to both environmental mercury concentrations and potential human exposure pathways, making them an excellent indicator for mercury risk.” “Dragonfly larvae tell us a lot because they exhibit higher concentrations of mercury than most other aquatic insects, they’re found in a variety of habitats and their mercury concentrations cascade up the food chain to fish and other aquatic wildlife,” said Sarah Nelson, director of Research, Appalachian Mountain Club. The forest’s Youth Conservation Corps partnered with the Eastern Region’s Air Quality program and Appalachian Mountain Club to survey dragonfly larvae at Cone Pond in Thornton, New Hampshire, and Mountain Pond, near Jackson. The White Mountain National Forest is participating in the Dragonfly Mercury Project, a national initiative involving monitoring, research, education and public engagement to assess mercury concentrations in dragonfly larvae across the United States. Specifically, the larvae are used to predict mercury concentrations in fish and other aquatic life and ecosystems. ![]() NEW HAMPSHIRE-It’s no wonder dragonflies are a symbol for vision and insight: They can see up to 30 “primary” colors, while we humans see the world through only three colors and dragonfly larvae provide real insights into environmental toxins. Photo courtesy Connor Piechota, White Mountain National Forest Youth Conservation Corps. White Mountain National Forest’s Youth Conservation Corp members collect dragonfly larvae from shallow pond sediments.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |