The Outstanding Acrobats!

A few days ago, I went out to the pond to look for bull frogs. While walking around the bank, I noticed lots of dragonflies flying above in the air. The insects were flying over the water. Later in the evening I saw lots of dragonflies in the barnyard darting here and there.

A dragonfly is an outstanding acrobat. It can fly forward, backwards, side to side, and even hover in midair like a helicopter. That is incredible! 

A single dragonfly can catch up to one hundred mosquitoes a day. They also eat other insects, such as flies, gnats, and even butterflies. They catch their food in the air while they glide.

I watched the flies in the air for quite a while. I wanted to get a closer look at the astounding flying insects, so I went to the pond, sat down on the bank, and waited for one of the insects to land. I knew they would land on the grass growing on the bank, because I had seen them land there before. 

Then out of the corner of my eye I saw a dragonfly land on a stem of grass. I crawled toward it slowly to get a closer look at the incredible bug.

The insect had four wings, which were colored blue with a black stripe in the middle. It had two large compound eyes and six legs. The compound eyes help the insect to see its food while flying in the air. They also help it see 360 degrees. That is the whole way around its body!

I watched it take off into the air, then return to its stem of grass. It was catching little insects to eat. Dragonflies are one of my favorite insects. They are covered in all kinds of beautiful colors and are exciting to watch dashing overhead in the air.

~ Jonah