Most observable dragonfly behaviors fall into three categories: thermoregulation, feeding and reproduction. Since reproductive behaviors are primarily observed where there is water and water is not generally easily accessible along the paths at Point Pleasant, these behaviors are not easily observed at Point Pleasant and not included here.

Thermoregulation Behaviors

Insects, like amphibians, reptiles, fish and other animals commonly referred to as "cold blooded" do not invest large amounts of energy in producing body heat but rather rely on external sources of warmth, most notably of course the sun. For this reason, dragonflies are most active on sunny days, though there are exceptions to the rule. The flip side for creatures that don't internally regulate their own body temperatures is the danger of overheating. One behavior common among most species of the skimmer and clubtail families of dragonflies is "obelesking," a perching posture in which the end of the long slender abdomen is directed toward the sun so as to reduce the surface area in direct light. Other families of dragonflies -- the flyers (see below) "hang up" rather than perch and so are typically shaded when they are not flying. Flyers can warm up their flight muscles by "wing whirring" similar to what moths do before take-off.

Feeding Behaviors

The clubtail family of dragonflies and most all of the skimmer family are "perchers," which means that when it comes to feeding they find somewhere to perch where they can keep an eye on the sky and then take off and grab any suitable food that comes along, returning to their perch to enjoy their meal. In the photos below a twelve-spotted skimmer searches the air for likely prey and then takes off in pursuit.

In contrast, the other families of dragonflies (darners, cruisers and emeralds are the three other families most likely to be encountered at Point Pleasant) are "fliers." These dragonflies, along with a few skimmer species such as the saddlebags and the gliders, can be seen, sometimes in sizable feeding swarms, flying over the prairie or the wetland or near the tree line, somewhat erratically as they shoot off in different directions to grab other flying insects for breakfast or dinner. Except for particularly large prey items, these dragonflies will eat in flight (remember when they used to serve meals on airplanes?)

Below is video of a feeding swarm of common green darners at Point Pleasant. Feeding swarms of darners are especially common in late summer and early fall as they prepare for migration. Only a few species of dragonflies are known to migrate. Migratory species encountered at Point Pleasant will include the common green darners, black saddlebags, carolina saddlebags (mostly in early summer) and wandering gliders.

The feeding swarm below is the first I'd seen flying right at the level of the tops of the plants. Other feeding swarms I've seen have been higher up in the air. Of course, the location of the prey insects determines where the dragonflies swarm.