Dragonfly Transformation!

Newly Emerged Meadowhawk, June 8, 2021, 5:02am

Dragonflies lead a double life. The majority of a dragonfly's life is spent underwater as a voracious predator developing to the point where it is ready to come out of the water and emerge as the wonder of the air that we are more familiar with. Meadowhawks are emerging now at the wetland pond. The aquatic naiads crawl out on plant stems in the very early morning hours, secure their grip on the plant, their exoskeleton splits open in the back and out comes the dragonfly that has been forming inside. 

This is incredible. We are all familiar with the process of complete metamorphosis as demonstrated by caterpillars turning into butterflies or moths.  They pass through an inactive phase in cocoon or chrysalis during which their bodies are totally remade. Amazing. However, in the case of dragonflies, which undergo "incomplete metamorphosis," there is no inactive phase. When the time comes while they are still living underwater, inside their exoskeleton, (no chrysalis or cocoon) incredible changes begin taking place... while they are still functioning in their aquatic habitat.  My best analogy for this is building an airplane inside a submarine using the parts of the submarine and yet keeping the submarine functioning until time for the airplane to launch...

In the photo above, the dragonfly has emerged from its old exoskeleton and is still clinging to it. It has expanded its wings but has not yet spread them. In the photo below, about 35 minutes later, the wings are now spread for the first time.

Newly Emerged Meadowhawk, June 8, 2021, 5:36am

The dragonfly took its first flight about half an hour after spreading its wings. This never ceases to amaze me -- a creature that has spent months underwater now has wings and has flown away. Just as with cicadas, very much in the news right now and which also undergo incomplete metamorphosis, all that is left behind is the old empty exoskeleton, a reminder of its aquatic beginnings.

Meadowhawk Exuvia -- the old empty exoskeleton


For more on this see the short video below created a year ago and featuring a time-lapse of a dragonfly emerging. 

Dragonflies: The Big Change

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