{"id":23130,"date":"2023-06-08T09:53:56","date_gmt":"2023-06-08T07:53:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gardensillustrated.com\/?p=109893"},"modified":"2023-06-08T10:34:59","modified_gmt":"2023-06-08T08:34:59","slug":"dragonflies-and-damselflies-once-had-wingspans-of-almost-1-metre-and-weighed-the-same-as-a-crow","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/gardensillustrated\/rss_feed\/dragonflies-and-damselflies-once-had-wingspans-of-almost-1-metre-and-weighed-the-same-as-a-crow\/","title":{"rendered":"Dragonflies and damselflies: once had wingspans of almost 1 metre and weighed the same as a crow"},"content":{"rendered":"

Discover more about these ancient insects \u2013 which in prehistoric times had wingspans of almost 1m – can fly in any direction, and are excellent garden predators. Fran Sconce, Entomologist and Royal Entomological Society Outreach Officer tells us more about dragonflies and damselflies <\/p>

By Daisy Bowie-Sell\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 08 June 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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There are few UK insects<\/a> that are as visually pleasing, with such an interesting life cycle, as dragonflies and damselflies. Known for their acrobatic aerial displays and often photographed visiting garden ponds<\/a> and waterways over the summer months, they begin and spend most of their life underwater, adults having carefully laid their eggs in and around freshwater streams, rivers and ponds. Although they belong to the same order of insects \u2013 Odonata \u2013 there are a few differences between the groups, the main visual one being that dragonflies hold their wings out horizontally when at rest, whereas damselflies hold their wings together, above their backs. There are more than 5,000 known species worldwide, and almost 60 in the UK.<\/p>\n