10th June Dragonfly Day

National Dragonfly Day is on the second Saturday in June. It is interesting that this beautiful insect has a day of its own. There's dragonflies in your backyard. Since the floods in Australia there has been many more dragonflies than usual!

Evidence shows dragonflies are nearly 300 million years old. Paleontologists have discovered dragonfly fossils with 3-foot wingspans. Interestingly, some scientists say dragonflies may have been just as large as the size of an eagle today.

Watch the beginning of this National Geographic film to see a fossil.

There are around 5,000 species of dragonflies around the world. Dragonflies are expert fliers in comparison to any other insect. The average dragonfly has the ability to fly like a helicopter. In fact, they fly straight up or down, forward, and even hover keeping perfectly level. In addition, the dragonfly is extremely fast and agile.

Many people believe dragonflies bring good luck, so because of this and their beauty they feature in art, jewellery and homewares.

The library does not have a lot of dragonfly books, but the ones we do will give you lots of information as a starting point for your research.

• What's It Like to Be a Dragonfly? by Jinny Johnson

• Are you a Dragonfly?  by Judy Allen and Tudor Humphries

• Dragonflies  by Valerie Bodden

• Darting Dragonflies  by Robin Nelson

• Dragonflies by Margaret Hall

And two stories

• Eliza and the Dragonfly by Susie Caldwell Rinehart

• Dragonfly Dance  by Rebecca Johnson