Ep 188. Benefits and Folklore of Dragonflies

Mary Stone chats about the benefits and folklore of dragonflies, their fascinating life cycle, hunting savvy, and their role in controlling garden pests. Plus, dragonflies' cultural significance and ancient ancestry that date back 325 million years.

She shares personal anecdotes, including a dragonfly visiting a memorial tree. She emphasizes the importance of letting go of habits or things that no longer serve you or others and embracing new intentions for the year.

Mary encourages listeners to find beauty and love in the world around them, trust nature's timing, and live with gratitude and kindness.

Thanks for tuning in!

Related Posts and Podcasts you'll enjoy:

Benefits and Folklore of Dragonflies – Blog Post

Preservation of the Paulinskill River - Blog Post
Ep 185. Preservation of the Paulinskill - Overcoming Hardships

A Forest Pansy Redbud of Hope - Blog Post
Ep 21. Lessons from Spruce, Forest Pansy of Hope

Hospice Butterfly Release - Blog Post
Ep 17. Butterfly Release Celebration, Focus of Faith

I'd love to hear your garden and nature stories and your thoughts about topics for future podcast episodes. You can email me at AskMaryStone@gmail.com.

You can Follow Garden Dilemmas on Facebook and Instagram #MaryElaineStone.
Episode web page —Garden Dilemmas Podcast Page

Thank you for sharing the Garden of Life,
Mary Stone, Columnist & Garden Designer
                                        AskMaryStone.com

More about the Podcast and Column:

Welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries.

It's not only about gardens; it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about.

Thanks for tuning in, Mary Stone
Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone.com
Direct Link to Podcast Page

Transcript

 Ep 188. Benefits and Folklore of Dragonflies 
Sat, Jan 04, 2025 10:04AM • 11:44
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
dragonfly benefits, folklore, new year intentions, nature inspiration, garden life, dragonfly life cycle, dragonfly migration, dragonfly folklore, dragonfly symbolism, dragonfly hunting, dragonfly fossils, dragonfly nymphs, dragonfly adults, dragonfly migration
SPEAKERS
Mary Stone

Mary Stone  00:00
Mary, Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. I'm Mary Stone, and welcome to garden dilemmas, delights and discoveries. It's not only about gardens. It's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learn from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So let's jump in, the spirit of learning from each other, we have lots to talk about. 

Mary Stone  00:23
Hello there. It's Mary Stone on the windy, screened porch. It is New Year's Day 2025 and the heavy rains from last night have made the river in front of me, it's actually a brook, race so perhaps you're hearing that as well. And of course, that means our snow has melted away, but frosty will come again, I am sure. So, it is a new year, but every day is a new year when you think about it. But of course, when there's a calendar change, it brings a time of reflection, a time to let things go, things or circumstances, patterns or behaviors in our lives that are no longer serving us or others. And we also think about things that we want to accomplish, our ambitions for the coming year. People call it resolutions. I prefer to call them intentions or desires of how we wish to improve our lives. We are continually growing, after all, letting go of the old and bringing in the new. 

Mary Stone  01:23
Today, we're going to chat about the benefits and folklore of dragonflies, a fascinating creature, but before that, I wish to thank those who wrote back after the last episode. Paperwhites in Water Like to Party, as do Amaryllis, which inspired me to bring my bulbs inside - the ones I've been putting outside and inside for several years - just to have one bloom. And to my surprise, there was a two-foot stem that grew out of the bulb. I didn't even notice it. I don't know how I missed it, because it's right by the door I go in and out of with Jolee, but I confess I did water the bulbs. I felt sorry for them, and you're not supposed to do that when they go dormant. So that is why I enjoy sitting with you each week, because visiting the protocols on blooming Amaryllis bulbs year after year refreshed my memory too. So, I'll put the strapping leaf of the bulb next to the sunny window and enjoy the unseen magic of what will happen next, right? Why not. They say, though it's true that sometimes Amaryllis do push out leaves before the stalk for the flower. So, who knows what will happen. So on to this week's story that starts like this.

Mary Stone  02:34
 Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. A few weeks ago, we spoke about the Preservation of the Paulinskill - Overcoming Hardships (that was in episode 185 by the way), and how the Nature Conservancy is measuring populations of dragonflies, amongst other insects and freshwater mussels to establish a baseline for monitoring the outcomes of the restoration underway. Dragonflies are fascinating creatures with an unusual life cycle and folklore to match. They spend most of their life in water. Dragonfly nymphs are greenish brown, making it hard to notice them in water where they feed on beetles, mosquito larvae and worms. Larger species feed on tadpoles and small fish. Smaller dragonfly nymphs molt six times over two months, while larger larvae molt up to 15 times over three to five years, depending on the species. And this part is so fascinating, when the time comes to become an adult, they stick their heads out from under the water to begin to adapt to breathing air. Then they climb out onto a plant. There they molt for the last time, into an adult with wings. 

Mary Stone  03:43
Most species only spend a few days or weeks as adults, while others live up to a year. They are skillful flyers, speedily flying six different ways, -making them very difficult to photograph, by the way. They are stunning, with long bodies, often iridescent in color and have transparent wings. Their acute eyesight and swift speed make them masterful hunters. One dragonfly can eat 30 to 100 mosquitos in a day. Larger species feed on moths, butterflies and smaller dragonflies, which seem sad, but the benefits of dragonflies in the garden ease the sadness. It's the cycle of life after all. Fossils of these astonishing creatures date back 325 million years ago. Ancestors of dragonflies were enormous with wingspans of up to 30 inches. Can you imagine? I can't even imagine.  Today they're in every part of the world except Antarctica, with wing spans ranging from two to five inches. 

Mary Stone  04:44
Hundreds of dragonflies of varying species can swarm to feed on insects, such as emerging flying ants or termites, and multiple species can swarm together to migrate. Research to understand the mysteries of dragonfly migration is underway. There are so many mysteries in nature, aren't there? 

Mary Stone  05:02
Dragonfly folklore varies widely. In Japan, they're included in poetry characterizing joy and strength with red dragonflies being especially sacred. They signify fortune and harmony. In China and in Europe, they can be a sign of black magic, often called Devil darning needle or horse stinger. Yet they don't sting at all. They will bite, however, if they're feeling threatened.

Mary Stone  05:27
 There's a Native American myth that dragonflies were once dragons. As the story goes, a coyote convinced a dragon to change into a dragonfly, and couldn't turn back, which sounds deceptive. However, the dragonfly symbolized change and swiftness. Images of dragonflies in Navajo paintings next to water represent purity. 

Mary Stone  05:50
Learning about the folklore reminded me of a while back when a dragonfly visited an extraordinary memorial tree. I partook in a happy email exchange from the caretaker of Myles's memorial tree. It's a forest pansy red bud with stunning, hot pink spring blooms and heart shaped leaves that emerged shiny before maturing to deep maroon. We planted the tree near the sports field at Morristown High School in the fall of 2019.  Myles's Redbud started out strong, but in early spring of 2020, it suffered from two consecutive nights of below freezing killing flower and leaf buds. After a worrisome, slow start to recover, it rebounded beautifully. Along with a photograph of the tree the loving caretaker Margarita asked Myles’s parents if their son had any connection to dragonflies. In the seven years I've been here, I have never seen one and now twice visiting one is on Myles tree, Margarita said. Judy replied. The Google machine says in almost every part of the world, the dragonfly symbolizes change, transformation, adaptability and self-realization, understanding the deeper meaning of life. Thanks for noticing the dragonfly, Margarita. It's special indeed. 

Mary Stone  07:07
You can visit episode 21 to learn more about the recovery of the beautiful tree planted in memory of Myles, a remarkable young man. Myles of Smiles is an contagious phrase that describes how he brightened the world with his presence and kindness to all that had the privilege of sharing a bit of his life, no matter what our walk in life. He was the son of a client of mine, actually my very first client that is still close to my heart. 

Mary Stone  07:34
Following the post about the Forest Pansy Redbud of Hope, there was a hospice butterfly release that was featured in Episode 17. After the names of loved ones were read. Diana Sebzda, now retired as director of bereavement, gave a reflection worthy of a revisit today as we enter a new year and with a world in unrest, Diana shared, when something painful, sad or bad happens, we tend to laser focus on those things, and when we do that, all the other things around us become blurry and unfocused, even fuzzy. 

Mary Stone  08:10
For example, while they were setting up for the ceremony, she noticed that the tree behind the podium had heart shaped leaves. Diana hadn't seen them before, and wondered how she could have missed that. When we chose Myles memorial tree, it hadn't occurred to me either that they had heart shaped leaves, in addition to the stunning transformations the tree undergoes from season to season. What a coincidence that she discovered the same thing. And as it turns out, redbuds are host trees providing egg laying stations for butterflies. 

Mary Stone  08:42
Diana suggested we look beyond our laser focus to find the beauty and love surrounding us. Look around and you will find it. You will find love; she said with strong affirmation. Isn't that why we're here today? Because of love. Love from someone who has passed before us, and love for people who are still here with us. She concluded, when we find ourselves becoming laser focused, let's think of love and let the love refocus us to be able to see and find the good that is around us. Her wisdom fills me, and I hope it fills you too. Wishing all of you a happy new year of growth. Garden Dilemmas. AskMary Stone.com.

Mary Stone  09:25
So, thinking about this topic and thinking about how we all make these resolutions or intentions, as I described earlier, can put a lot of pressure on us unnecessarily, which is why resolutions quickly fade or are forgotten. Like in nature, everything unfolds with perfect timing. We do too. Trust in that perfect unfolding. Yes, we do our part. Let us not grow stagnant or steadfast in harmful or hurtful ways to others. Muddy waters that churn up after a storm eventually clear we can’t rush that. The water will calm down - the calm after the storm. Make stillness a part of your life too, and live with gratitude, respecting our dear Earth and each other and not fighting the current. Instead, trust and let go like a leaf in the water floating merrily, down the stream. Yes, it may flow upstream for a while and get caught under a rock for a bit, but eventually it will flow forward in perfect timing, as nature intended. So don't put a lot of pressure on yourself about the new year but enjoy it and certainly have good intentions of growing forward and being kind to each other and loving each other, it makes such a difference. It literally grows exponentially the kindness we give to each other in our communities and amongst our neighbors. So I invite you to do that, and I want to thank you for your time with me today and each week that you sit with me on the screen porch, it fills my heart. I hope it fills yours too. Here's to a happy new year of growth. Have a great day. See you next time on the screen porch.

Mary Stone  11:13
You can follow garden dilemmas on Facebook or online at Garden dilemmas.com and on Instagram at hashtag Mary Elaine Stone.  Garden Dilemmas, Delights and Discoveries is produced by Alex Bartling. Thanks for coming by. I look forward to chatting again from my screen porch, and always remember to embrace the unexpected in this garden of life. Have a great day.