I have learned that one of the easiest creatures to have in and around your pond is also one of the most interesting.  The Dragonfly!

The dragonfly symbolizes the same thing in most parts of the world – Change.  Everything from the change in your “perspective of self” to the mental and emotional change that maturity brings.  Some believe that the Dragonfly’s flight over water symbolizes looking deeper – beyond the surface of things.

I can’t begin to explain all of the things that the Dragonfly symbolize, but I can tell you some of the facts that I find interesting.

• Dragonfly’s can fly in all six directions, forward, backwards, up, down and towards both sides.   They can hover like a helicopter or fly at 36 miles an hour.  Their wing strokes have 20 times the power that other insects do.  They only flap their wings 30 times a minute. (Mosquitoes – 600, houseflies – 1000)
  
  

• Almost 80% of the insect’s brain power is spent on its sight.  It can see in all 360 degrees. They have about 30,000 lenses.
  
  

• Dragonfly’s have been around for millions of years. The largest fossil found had a 2.5 foot wingspan.
  
  

• There are about 5000 different kinds of Dragonflies.

And what I think is the best fact:  dragonflies eat mosquitos, ants, termites, and gnats.  They can eat their own weight in pesky insects in about 30 minutes.  (kinda makes you wish those 2.5 foot ones were still around)

Here are some more pictures of this cool insect:

Image credit for the Meganeura photo, Wikipedia.