Sept. 13, 2019
That’s not rain on the radar.
Meteorologists have spotted dragonfly swarms in Ohio, Indiana and western Pennsylvania over the past few days. This migration – which likely includes birds as well as other insects – is so large that weather service officials can see it on radar, where it looks like rain moving through the area.
The swarm likely won’t make it much farther east into Pennsylvania, one meteorologist told the Philly Voice. That’s a shame for those of us living in southcentral PA hoping to see more of these pretty bugs by our ponds, where they help combat nuisance mosquitoes.
One adult dragonfly can scarf down anywhere from a few dozen to several hundred of these bloodsuckers in a single day. Dragonfly nymphs provide additional population control by snacking on mosquito larvae.
So why are the dragonflies swarming? They might be preparing for global domination … or, more likely, it’s just a natural phenomena that happens from time to time. Scientists have long known about this behavior but still don’t know why it happens.
If you’re lucky enough to see a swarm, you can report it to The Dragonfly Swarm Project to help shed more light on these fascinating creatures. You can also check out our Learning Center article about dragonflies and learn more about what they mean for your pond.
Around 6:30 pm in Southern Ohio pic.twitter.com/lenWiSgMUP
— Debbie (@debraclearhills) September 11, 2019
— AmyLAllen (@Itsamylallen) September 11, 2019
Dragonflies eating smaller insects and flying through my sprinkler tonight near Troy Ohio pic.twitter.com/T4XSn1vere
— Christine pence (@pence_christine) September 11, 2019
