HYDERABAD: We’ve seen birdwatchers in the city clothed in camouflage prints, geared with cannon-like camera lenses and binoculars, looking up in the sky, but that’s not how ‘dragonfly watchers’ are looking to spot the insect. A group of dragonfly chasers and entomologists are hunting for insect helicopters — to scientifically chart the dragonfly species for the first time in the city.
Watching Odonatas — a family of dragonflies and damselflies — is thrilling and fun. There are several species that one can look for, near the water bodies in the city. Each of them has a distinct buzzing sound and they have a majestic display of iridescent colours. While human eyes have only two lenses, these insects have up to 30,000!
“To watch a dragonfly and identify it, one has to have a keen sense of hearing and an active sight. To watch a damselfly, a cousin of the dragonfly, one has to be very observant to spot them in the environment,” said Rajesh Varma Dasi, a banker and citizen scientist, while speaking at a talk titled ‘Demystifying the Dragons,’ organised at the Neknampur lake. This is the only water body selected by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to celebrate the Dragonfly Festival in Hyderabad. Damselflies are smaller, have dumbbell-shaped eyes and their wings are closed when not flying. Dragonflies are large, have round eyes and always keep their wings open, Rajesh shared while walking the enthusiasts around Neknampur to spot dragonflies.
“Dragonflies only live near clean water bodies. The more the dragonflies, the better the quality of water. Some of the dragonfly larvae have a lifespan of a year, whereas the species flies survive for only around a couple of months. The dragonfly larvae feed on mosquito larvae and dragonflies kill adult mosquitoes, so they are biological mosquito population controllers,” Rajesh added.
On a single day, last weekend, the dragonfly watchers identified 11 species of dragon and damselflies! Some from the list included: the blue ground skimmer (a bright blue dragonfly that flies on the ground close to water bodies), a scarlet skimmer (a bright red, velvet-textured dragonfly) and a lesser green emperor, which is one of the largest dragonflies in India that is more often heard than seen because of its lightning speed flight.
Demystifying dragonflies
For the last five weeks, a group of wildlife experts, entomologists and enthusiasts have been frequenting Neknampur lake to prepare for the Dragonfly Festival 2021. In 2018, WWF India had initiated the festival in association with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS). The aim was to demystify dragonflies and their siblings, the damselflies, and celebrate their role in keeping our environment healthy.
This year, WWF India launched the fourth edition of the festival in August. It will culminate in February. The festival highlights the uniqueness, beauty and importance of these fascinating insects. The festival will include learning activities such as quizzes, expert talks, competitions and other interactive sessions