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Post by rowanberry on Jul 29, 2015 14:05:29 GMT
Just found this newly hatched dragonfly on the water plantain in the pond... seems to have just emerged from the chrysalis beside it.   |
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Post by aeshna5 on Jul 29, 2015 19:40:31 GMT
Dragonflies don't have chrysalises as that is the pupal stage which only insects with a complete metamorphosis have such as butterflies, moths, beetles + flies. Dragonflies have an incomplete metamorphosis + after several larval stadia emerge as an adult.
What you have is called an exuvium (plural exuvae)+the resultant dragonfly here is a Southern Hawker- nice addition to the garden.
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Post by rowanberry on Jul 30, 2015 14:24:50 GMT
Thanks for that info, Aeshna! I am pleased that they are surviving through to adulthood- it's the first year we've had dragonflies around the garden, so it was great to see one that had just crawled up out of the pond. Such amazing insects. |
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Post by aeshna5 on Jul 30, 2015 17:04:24 GMT
You must have had at least one last year as this larva would have been from an egg laid last summer unless you have imported some pondweed into your garden on which it could have arrived.
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