Things you need to know about DRAGONFLIES!

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Thank you for watching this video, please leave a comment to help even more people find it. If you would like to support the channel even more, please consider joining my Patreon which can be found here> www.patreon.com/ashotofwildlife Cheers!

[@Checker63]

My uncle who lived in Norwich, was fascinated by dragonflies. He wrote and illustrated a book about them. All done in nice hand writing and artistic drawing Not something that was published. Just for his own enjoyment. He never even told anyone he had done it. We found it after he died. His headstone has a dragonfly engrave on it. He loved wildlife and was passionate about protecting it.

[@vegansimber5298]

Sounds like a nice piece of treasure to have found!

[@Marie579]

This is fascinating to watch especially their manoeuvrability on the wing, I used to be in the RAF as an aircraft mechanic and saw how much was involved in getting something airborne! We’ve not really conquered flight, we’ve only succeeded in avoiding stalling! 😂

[@pathughes9242]

Just saved one this afternoon. It was a beautiful, huge, bright green and black one. It was lying upside down, exhausted and thin, just inside a Supermarket door. As I offered my finger to its legs it clung on and I placed it in a small bush outside, near a small glade. I went back after a minute or two to check on it and it had plumped up considerably. As I turned to go, it flew off circling me and headed off to the cool glade. 😊😊😊

[@Jesus_Resurrection_and_Life]

I love dragonflies. . . They used to scare me, until, one year I was in Turkey, chilling out in a pool, resting on the ledge and started to watch all the dragonflies as they hovered over the water. . . I lost my fear of them there and then. . . And became intrigued by them, the way they flew, darted about, up and down, hovering better than any drone - yeah, really like ‘em now :))) Summer blessings to you

[@Jesus_Resurrection_and_Life]

Plus, their colours are amazing. . .

[@Jesus_Resurrection_and_Life]

Wow @ 2:30 😮 😊 🤩

[@Jesus_Resurrection_and_Life]

Never been bitten, used to be scared, but they left me in peace in that pool, didn’t touch me, even though they flew right over my head, around me and got close. I just stayed still and enjoyed them :)))

[@Kevin-mx1vi]

Fond memories of being "buzzed" by 3 or 4 different species of Dragonflies by a beck in the Yorkshire Dales. A magical experience. 😊

[@34outdoor]

Praise Braben!

[@Niftyknits]

We get many dragonflies visiting our garden pond, and enjoy watching their antics. The larvae are also fun to watch, but they do mean our tadpoles never last long! We often see males patrolling, keeping guard on "their" pond. Once we even observed a larva climbing out to hatch, that was magical - and led to our lunch being abandoned! Sometimes they don't seem satisfied with the height of our pond plants, and we've seen some crawling across the surrounding shingle for a couple of metres and then climb up the side of the house or shed to cling on and emerge. They're certainly resilient. Thanks for the vid Liam!

[@fredMplanenut]

Great and interesting video, thanks. I have joked when spying a larger beastie that one could see passengers "looking out of the windows", they are brilliant. They appear to follow the same route when searching for food, much like a bat.

[@Spangletiger]

Thank you so much for this! Many years ago, I had an enormous dragonfly pass over my head. I only noticed it because of the loud, low humming sound of its wings. It was the only time that I've ever seen one but of course, as soon as I described what I'd seen to anyone, they accused me of exaggerating about its size! As soon as I saw the brown hawker in your video, I recognised it and the wingspan measurement absolutely confirms it. Unfortunately, I've long since lost touch with those I told about the one I saw, so I can't send them the link for your video!😂

[@celestenova777]

Beautiful little things...I look for them down by my river but haven't seen hardly any this year so far, but today I saw a couple of damsels mating. Great informative vid - didn't know they were around 50 million years before the dinosaur! Thanks for another great video 🦟 🌿

[@charlesbonnett6707]

Great video Liam. Seeing a dragonfly emerge from their larvae skin is truly astonishing!

[@corvus1238]

Very informative. Thanks Liam.

[@derekstocker6661]

Thanks so very much for this, I love these fabulous creatures and keep watch in our garden for them every summer. I have a huge one that was caught in a couriers van bonnet who delivered items to us, I looked after it for an hour or so before it died from an injury to it's head. I placed it in a glazed frame and have informed the wildlife people all about it.

[@patricianunes3521]

Dragonflies are like nature’s helicopters! Love them! Loved this video, of course 👍🏽

[@Alan.92n]

Good video/information on dragonflies, Liam. Didn't realise there were so many species. Thanks for sharing. 😊 👍

[@yamchips]

I've been biten by a dragonfly in my junior high. I rescued one in the classroom and brought it outdoor, then I placed it on my finger, it stood for a while and before it took departure, it bit my finger😂 I didn't bleed but it was a little painful. I guess it was just scared.

[@edmervyn1428]

I love them too, coolest insect ever. Great vid, thank you so much!!

[@hastonmclaren3319]

Yes! I can confirm that they can give a nasty nip. As a fifteen year old, I was foolish enough to catch one in my hands. Almost fifty years later, I still remember the bite.

[@zigzaglychee7324]

I didn't realise dragonflies were so impressive in terms of speed and vision! But it makes sense for a creature that has managed to survive for so many millions of years.

[@dm70]

Cracking video: perfect pace, gentlenesss & content - thank you.

[@highdownmartin]

I’ve got a decent pond in the garden, wildlife only, no fish. The Emperor dragonflies are amazing flyers. The can hovering one spot then dart away at tremendous speed and fly in a huge circle up over the garden and the back of the house then return to hover in exactly the spot ,screaming in at about 30 mph and stopping dead on where they started. Uncanny.

[@joetaylor486]

Dragonflies are just amazing, and i gather they are the most successful predator. I just love watching them on the wing.

[@JenP386]

thank you Liam for a very interesting video

[@HattmannenNilsson]

I have indeed been bitten by dragonflies when I was younger, and it does hurt. They have some pretty strong jaws and can even prick your skin if they get a good bite. It's been over two decades since I managed to get bitten so I don't remember exactly how the bite compares, but more painful than a wasp sting I'd say. Perhaps comparable to the bite of a bush cricket (which Wikipedia informs me also used to be known as long-horned crickets, the family Tettigonidae). The big green ones about the size of your thumb. Apparently they also don't appreciate being picked up by a curious boy and can make their displeasure painfully known. 😉

[@sue.Hoo123]

Excellent video 👍. We built a pond last year, one of the best things we’ve done, within 2 weeks we had Dragonflies visiting, this year it’s been amazing to watch the nymphs crawling out and hatching - Common Darters. We’ve had 7 Smooth Newts who successfully bred and 2 frogs with young too. “Build it and they will come”. 👍

[@spritzpistol]

Thanks Liam, we love learning from you❤! Dragon flies have always been a fav of mine. We have a lot of both dragon and damsel flies all from the small pond in our back garden, it’s also homes newts (incl ghost newts), lot of surface insects, pond life, plants and one or two grass snakes. The birds bathe in it, others drink from it, including the foxes. Ive never been bitten, only stung by bees (unfortunately trapped under loose clothing), but don’t sting long. If you want these types of insects to visit, a small bowl or barrel could provide an equally affective habitat to a pond, just remember out in rocks and pebbles for damp areas too and to top it up with rainwater.😊

[@gerrimilner9448]

my Grandma always told me "ladybirds bite!" apparently in 1976 the really hot year there were swarms of them and several newspapers and the t.v. reported the bites. when i was a teenager, i was reading in the garden and i herd this weird scraping scratching sound. when i looked there was a 3" black and yellow dragonfly munching a wasp! i have had a love of dragonfly's since

[@ih.5863]

Always been fascinated by dragonflies. As a child we lived on the edge of a woodland with a large lake so we often saw them in the garden up close. Another brilliant video 👍

[@34outdoor]

wow these shots with the dew drops on the wings, amazing!

[@williamrobinson7435]

Wonderful as ever! I'm amazed that such a sophisticated flying insect could be so ancient. I've often marvelled at the beautiful iridescent colours some of these creatures display, truly magical. Nice one Liam! 🌟👍

[@robertmeadows7508]

A lovely video , thank you ! I recall from many years ago as a very small boy, (I'm 77 years now), of watching large Dragonflies hawking after flying insects & being able to hear the '' tick-tick -tick '' sound from with I think their 'jaws' as they made attempts to snatch their prey & missing ! In those days I could also hear bats as they also chased their prey at night as well !

[@timroot4207]

Thank you Liam !!!

[@dm1946]

Great video Liam and we love listening to all the information you give.

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@radders261]

Great video. A few years ago, I was sunbathing and got bitten. The initial bite was actually very painful, but the pain soon lessened.

[@lin462]

They are impressive creatures.

[@Sven-ErikJohansson-tn6hx]

Hej, Sven from sweden! Twice i observe bigg dragon in the atum, kathses two cm buggs, take bite after an other, theese cavels stand no chanse, bite by bite, down the throat,!! That sound of theese corp kutting, really hard cornflakes! Satche marble like predator! Great vids! Keep on fighting! Mvh Sven

[@jess53nz]

Bahaha teaspoons is hilarious! Love that. We have royal spoonbills in nz and they are pretty cool too. 😊

[@alanwinkley8811]

Once again Liam an outstanding video. Where do you gain all your knowledge?

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Thank you! I cannot claim to be walking around with all of these facts in my head, although the more videos I make and the more time I spend out in nature, the more I learn. The information that I didnt already know in this video, was mostly garnered from the dragonfly society website but I use a variety of sources. Cheers

[@mamelukok]

Also, dragonflies are the most successful known predator.. With about 95-97% accuracy (lions about 30% and tigers about 10-15%).. If dragonfly spots the target, it is done.. Loved the notion, in some other yt video, that if mosquitoes (main prey of dragonflies) had stories, there would be zero stories about dragonflies, simply because none of them would survive to tell the tale :) Thank you for another great video :D

[@nicholaspostlethwaite9554]

I dug a small pond in my garden this spring and have had both Damselflies and Dragonflies laying eggs and flying about it. Only the commonest of species, but pleased enough for a fresh and small pond.

[@anthonybarra2391]

Great stuff, just subscribed, thank you

[@petelumley1578]

Another informative video Liam thank you. I hope your family are doing well

[@Compo67]

That was a great video Liam, so much content Facts & figures, your quite some statistician . I bet you were good a maths at school 😁👍 well done , loads I didn’t know about dragon flies such as they can fly up side down. Amazing 🤩

[@nickwebb9290]

That’s a super video Liam and particularly poignant for this time of the summer. See quite a lot in our garden and surrounding area here in Cornwall with some varying types too. They’re always a joy to watch 😁

[@SidBonkers51]

Brilliant info, learned a lot, many thanks.

[@sarahbrassington1749]

Fascinating, I was completely enthralled

[@mattwuk]

There's something kind of magical about dragonflies and damselflies. Great video, thanks.

[@TheWobblyFace]

Nice informative video Liam. Once had a male Emperor land on me and it ate a large cranefly it had captured, it only left the wings and legs, not much meat on them. I didn't move or breath for the time it was sat on me. I have heard they can bite and more so the nymphs if handled.

[@mylesstevens3500]

Thank you. I really enjoyed your informative video. I made a small suburban garden pond life pond last summer and have been pleasantly surprised by the number of dragonflies and damselflies that have breed there.

[@philiptaylor7902]

Thanks Liam, these are amazing little creatures.

[@zeusricochant7357]

I just saw one yesterday at mine in Aberdeenshire. Just a wee one. Haven't seen them in a very long time

[@missapippin9020]

Thank you Liam for a very informative video on Dragonflies. When I was young I used to be afraid of them. I think they are amazing and even more amazing after your video. Take care and see you next time ❤

[@TheRewildlife]

Liam I absolutely love your videos but I have to ask- do you shoot it all? And if you do, how? If not, where do you get your stock footage? Keep it up anyway!

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Thank you. No, sadly I do not film it all myself (although if I had the time I would try to). The footage I don't film myself is creative commons from elsewhere on KZbin.

[@TheRewildlife]

@@AShotOfWildlife that’s cool man! They work really well!

[@tbonebrown94]

Fascinating stuff. Thanks for sharing your knowledge

[@PeterGaunt]

Thank you Liam. Worth adding that insects could be larger 100s of million years ago because the oxygen content of the air was higher than it is now. Dragonfly larvae were a favourite find from pond dipping when we took our Year 9s from Bethnal Green down to Surrey for the weekend each year. Give the kids magnifying glasses and a supply of food and they'll watch them for ages.

[@royothebuzz]

Being a fisherman/angler I see lots of gragonflies. They often come up close to check you out but I have never been bitten by one. I have been bitten by a ladybird, it's not great but it's not as bad as a bee sting.

[@kiri101]

I saw an absolutely whopping one solo laying her eggs along the bank of the river a few mornings ago when it was sunny. As she flew up and down the river's shadier bank scanning for places to lay she would occasionally happen upon a place she'd already laid, stopping for a fraction of a second before seeming to recall she'd not just been here before but deposited a few eggs! Such well-tuned, ancient creatures! Their only rival in that department is perhaps the blasted silverfish!

[@karenm2184]

Another brilliant video! Thank you so much x

[@tims9434]

Dragonflies are my favourites. So colourful, plus they like my hair

[@R08Tam]

Thanks, that was really interesting

[@bobster9549]

Thank you for a great video

[@shanestewart4905]

I have it on good authority that Dragonflies can and do bite if handled clumsily. Cracking subject, thank you.

[@HattmannenNilsson]

As I learned in my younger years, they can also bite when handled gently in cupped hands or when one crashes into the back of your head and decide that you were the one at fault. 🙂

[@silver.fox__]

Cheers Liam another very informative video. 👍

[@AirieAvant]

Here in Alabama, we have so many dragonflies. They're very friendly, they'll land on my fingers and let me carry them around the yard. They'll fly over if you chirp at them and really like to drink fresh water out of your hand and will eat mosquitos of you catch them and hand feed them. I've handled thousands in the last three months and have never been bitten. I have been smacked with wings for doing something too fast with them on my hand.

[@anthonynolan945]

Very informative thanks

[@davidbaxter4910]

INTERESTING...

[@davidbaxter4910]

ABSOLUTEMENT..

[@brentnearhood8874]

Thanks! 🐞

[@Canalcoholic]

In terms of percentage of attacks resulting in a kill, the flying stage of the dragonfly is the most successful hunter on this planet.

[@johnsykes9623]

Somebody else that watches QI LOL

[@jonroads8281]

These are such fascinating creatures! Hope life is good with you and fatherhood is treating you well!

[@AShotOfWildlife]

Thanks Jon. Yes, it's all going well so far, she was 2 months old yesterday... fastest 2 months of my life.

[@jonroads8281]

@@AShotOfWildlife enjoy and appreciate every single moment!

[@angelalayton1655]

Loved that thank you ☺️

[@daverichards6557]

Very informative at as always Liam. Dragon flies do have an impressive set of mandibles on them. As a child I was told they could bite, and always handled them with care and caution. They would sometimes get caught in the hospital’s library windows which were expansive; but didn’t have opening windows. I used to therefore catch and release them Using glass and postcard method. Seeing them so close up I could see how dangerous they must have been on the wing, with their prey not standing much of a chance once caught in the jaws of a dragonfly. As you say though there is n factual evidence of human skin being broken or reaction to a “DF” nip! Regards David

[@mikelawrence274]

Great Video mate.

[@janiedunn637]

Very interesting

[@calebvanderwolf1777]

As a warden I was showing a group a ruddy darter that I captured, it bit me, it didn't hurt much, but certainly took me by suprise.

[@TheWillpar]

Great video, but not seeing many this summer.

[@spgranorthiam123]

Thank you, most beautiful insect, if we ever come back I would like to come back as dragon fly

[@stuarth43]

wow, I learned so much here, I thought that, like mayflies they lived one day

[@kaymorrice8141]

Totally fascinating

[@paulwarner5674]

Saw one the other day. First time since I filled in the pond in the garden. Sad but couldn't trust the grandchildren.😢

[@bbsaid218]

One got trapped in a poly tunnel, a friend caught it to remove it. He said it bit him quite hard. So I guess if they feel threatened they will bite.

[@RichardWaring]

I've been bitten by a dragonfly I saved from drowning. The mandibles come in from the sides for a nasty bite. Also, I've heard that the dragonfly is named such because in the larval stage they have a long, hinged lower jaw that juts out with lightning speed to catch prey. Nicknamed "the mosquito hawk," dragonflies feast on mosquitos as larvae and, as adults, use their legs to catch them on the fly. Fascinating creatures!

[@curiousuranus810]

As a kid, I remember seeing a dragonfly carrying off a small fish, was I dreaming?

[@patrickrose1221]

Great video 👍 Nice to hear you say " Ladybird", it's being killed off by the ' ladybug'! 😢😅😂, ❤️🕊️

[@Jaded-Wanderer]

Another great video.

[@sigeberhtmercia767]

The dragonflies great size in the past can at least, in part, be attributed to the higher oxygen content in the atmosphere at that time.

[@grahvis]

I know how long it takes them to break out of their larval skin, one decided to do it in the open-top of my fishing bag. It was about two hours waiting before I could get out something to eat.

[@mattgoodchild8215]

Fantastic Liam thank you 👍🏼🍻

[@johnmarkey4862]

Well made

[@davidbilbrough3726]

Once again I will ask that one is taken to outerspace; this will make a very interesting experiment as they are spatially aware. And to change the subject-- We also need to find how many 'G's a octopus can stand as ufo's (if they realy exist) may be 'maned by animals' contaning nearly 100% water because of the fantastic acceleration.

[@MrDkgio]

Never been bitten by a dragonfly, I did have one fly alongside me while driving down a country lane in Wales, it was surprisingly fast, flew alongside then accelerated away, large looked over 3 inches, iridescent Blue and Green.

[@AShotOfWildlife]

That's brilliant, I love it when birds or dragonflies fly alongside as your driving, almost feels like they're deliberately accompanying you.

[@MrDkgio]

@@AShotOfWildlife until reminded by this video I had never thought to try and identify what species it was, I’ve just looked into it and it appears it was a male Emperor dragonfly 😎

[@AShotOfWildlife]

@MrDkgio that sounds about right. There are a couple that have blue green markings though, some of them are quite hard to separate.

[@saffieification]

good job

[@weaton25]

I was told a long time ago that hey are called Dragon Flies as they are a bit like Dragons they hunt on the wing when they are flying is this correct I have no idea

[@samsavojbolagi5513]

they look like MI24 helicopters

[@bs7157]

i love these insects. they always remind me of helicopters. 😊👍

[@martynridley3671]

Look at a broad-bodied chaser, the insides of the wings are white and that portion is scalloped and looks like a dragon's wing. That's my guess, anyway!

[@dancyprus6863]

Didn't one land and perch on your head a year or two ago when you were out with a few mates?

[@1953streeky]

Top man ❤

[@bbsaid218]

Have Emeralds in my garden.

[@sirjohng1]

Why have they not evolved further over the intervening 100,000,000+ years?

[@MrTrick.]

I like Snakedoctor better.