Island Parent Magazine Dec-Jan 2023

on tight. Here they will slowly split and crawl out of their larval
skin and emerge as an adult dragonfly.
The adults must work hard to pump haemolymph into their
wings, causing them to expand and strengthen. With some time
to harden their exoskeleton, they are ready to take flight! Adult
dragonflies can fly up to 54km per hour and move their four
wings individually! This makes them great pilots and impressive
hunters. We can thank them for eating plenty of mosquitoes
and causing us a few less bites in the summer!
While it began for me with dragonflies and damselflies, it
was not long at all before it became insects as a whole. From
the hundreds of bee tongues I’ve seen this summer to the stunning
colour palettes on leaf hoppers, I have been shocked and
delighted. I promptly purchased a beginner macro camera to
see them closer—to be able to look at their armour, their eyes
of many lenses, their ancestral fluff and their comprehensive
hydraulics. I have a lot to learn about insects, but with my
newfound love I can promise you one thing: They are worth a
closer look—have you seen them?
Join us at the Nature Sanctuary for one of our children, family
or adult programs and perhaps you can fall for something
new! To see our calendar, register and learn about programs
visit swanlake.bc.ca.
Madi Haller is a Community Educator at Swan Lake Christmas Hill
Nature Sanctuary. She is passionate about the small intricacies of natural
world that are often overlooked.
IslandParent.ca
December/January 2023 35