Bushcraft - Central Texas Style - Nature's Guides

Blue Darners on Pond

Dragonflies are strong fliers and are very territorial. They quite often have an established route that they cover in their area and will quite often be found perching on limbs or twigs in the same area on a routine basis. They fly much faster than a butterfly and can fly backwards or hover similar to hummingbirds. Dragonflies are most often seen perched on plants along the edges of ponds or other small bodies of water.

The above picture is a twelve-spotted skimmer. Twelve spotted skimmer dragonflies (Libellula pulchella) normally have twelve spots on their wings that make them fairly easy to identify. Males will usually have additional white spots on their wings. The twelve-spotted skimmer in the picture above can be seen quite regularly sitting on this particular limb. This is in an area that is only a few hundred yards away from a large pond.

Nature will quite often show you the way to survive if you know the signs to look for when searching for a natural source of water.  Dragonflies are just one of the indicators that a natural source of water may be located nearby in your area. 

There's an old saying with a lot of truth in it: 


"Let nature be your guide."

Staying above the pond line!

Riverwalker