In the sky, they make our best pilots look like some kindergarten dropouts, And underwater? They are the real xenomorphs from Alien movies.

I often wondered why they named it a Dragonfly. Because it's not a dragon and it's not a fly. Science says it's more of an Odonata.

Maybe our ancestors looked at it and said to themselves, "...this looks like tinny-tiny baby dragon that can fly", and what do you know? Dragonflies can fly. I don't mean what other insects like butterflies or moths do. This one is an expert stunt jet pilot, capable of hovering in one place, I have seen it flying forward, backwards, up, down and even sideways.

Catching one when I was a kid was no joke at all. The good thing is, they are not harmful. No sting, no venom, no poison. Their only defence is their ability to fly off like crazy. Those big compound eyes will see you coming from any direction, so don't even think of a sneak attack.

They are so good at flying that they hunt, catch and eat other flying insects in the air - like true masters of the sky. Unlike most insects that have two, they have four wings that are said to operate independently. Sometimes when it is mating season; pairs will choreograph their flight together in what is called a “mating wheel” — flying as one heart-shaped loop in the air before returning to the water to lay eggs.

Yes, they lay their eggs in water. And the young nymphs are formidable predators in their underwater environment. With a small, mouth-like arm that shoots out of its mouth like the xenomorphs in Alien movies, the dragonfly's nymphs are ambush predators with the ability to camouflage in ponds.

I have seen them moving and making sneak attacks, and when they sense danger, they fire up a jet that makes them warp to another spot in the pond.

As adults, the dragonflies rove the skies like fighter-jet-hunters. Taking down mosquitoes and other bugs, while their babies are jet-powered underwater assassins hunting mosquito larvae and other pond dwellers. You can now see why I called them the "Masters of Skys and Seas"

Watching dragonflies, I see them deep in their tail in a pond, and sometimes they deep and make a backflip in the air. They will just fly so fast, step on the brake and change direction at once, performing acrobatic stunts as if enjoying their freedom.

Conclusion

So each time you see a dragonfly enjoying its wings, know that it must have been out of water for less than a month. After spending about four long years underwater, they have only 4 weeks to rule the skies.

That’s why when you see one, you’re looking at something rare. Something that waited years for this moment. Am I the only one who was obsessed with dragonflies as a kid? Did you hunt them too as a kid?

I am inviting @josepha, @rubee2as1 @dequeen and @bossj23 to tell their Dragonfly stories. In cases you will love to know, I got some additional facts from YouTube and Wikipedia, most of which are in the links.

Media Credit

Composer	@manuelhooks
Captured with	Galaxy-A15
Assisted by	Google Lens
Entry type	Entomology Profile
Read More	Wikipedia
Posting Date	Saturday 25th July.
	(@) 2026