From

Location

Message

Date Posted

Woburn, Ma

I found this dying next to one of my plants. I have posted the picture in the Dairies. My other problem is I felt maybe I should now finally apply some Triazicide. So a short while ago I sprayed with a half strength solution. Five minutes later "it rained." It was a pretty good rain. Now I am wondering how much of my spray would have been washed off and what I should do. Thanks... Blaine

6/26/2004 5:22:58 PM

Woburn, Ma

I think I did something wrong. I don't know what happened to the Dairy I "thought" I created...lol. maybe this link will work.
http://home.comcast.net/~bbbsr/images/bug.jpg

6/26/2004 6:06:27 PM

Topsfield, Ma.

Great pic, though I can't identify it as an AG enemy. Hope it's not a mutated form of SVB moth! Best of luck! Duff

6/26/2004 8:41:11 PM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

That is a Dragonfly...A friendly little mosquito eating dragonfly....You must have flowing water near by.

6/26/2004 10:27:47 PM

Woburn, Ma

Is it odd for a dragonfly to be eating pumpkin leaves?. He was still on the ground dying when I found him next to the eaten leave. I have only used Imidacloprid 1.47 from the Bayer Tree & Shrub so this must have been eating leaves in order for it to die.

6/27/2004 7:54:28 AM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

Was he eating them are just drying his wings after hatching out of his "Nymph" stage. Or was his short life cycle complete and he landed on your pumpkin leaf and died

6/27/2004 8:49:27 AM

Woburn, Ma

I had a little more info in the diary that I tried to create but messed up. First, it was one of my Conneticut plants and not my A.G that was being eaten. A couple times something had been eating it but I could never catch what it was in the act. Finally, when I noticed more had been eaten I found him lying near the plant. I have never sprayed my plants with anything this year. I have only given them Imidacloprid 1.47 about three weeks ago. If he died from the plant it had to be from eating the plant. I checked my plants again this morning and nothing has been eating that plant. It must have been that dragonfly?

6/27/2004 9:22:06 AM

Billerica,Massachusetts

dragonflies dont eat plants,just other insects.
Glenn

6/28/2004 8:26:48 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Dragonflies are cool.

All Clearwing Borer adults (including SVB) have distinct antenae. So that is a Dragonfly sinch their antenna are very small. They pose us no harm.

Adult Dragonflies eat mostly Flies & Mosquitoes. Mosquitoes' daytime resting places include the undersides of leaves. So more than likely, that Dragonfly was probably helping control the local pest population.

Some info:

http://www.campusprogram.com/reference/en/wikipedia/d/dr/dragonfly.html

At about 300 Million years, the Dragonfly is ancient & highly successful as far as living things go. If interested, check out:

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthropoda/uniramia/odonatoida.html

or

http://www.dragonflies.org

6/28/2004 10:41:39 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Am immature specimen of the Twelve Spotted Skimmer (male) Libellula pulchella:

http://www.gloriamundipress.com/dragonflies/id181.htm

6/28/2004 10:55:18 AM

Eveleth MN

If there is one good thing that comes out of the swamp on my property its Dragonflys, and lots of them! (I got these HUGE ones, about a 5" wingspan)

6/28/2004 2:23:49 PM

Woburn, Ma

Well, that settles it, it's a dragonfly!!.. and I'm a knucklehead. On a postitive note please remember that I did not kill him, he lying there dying when I found him. Tremor, thanks for being that thoughtful that you would take the time to find and post those links. So many thoughtful people here at this site.

6/28/2004 4:46:11 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

You're no knucklehead Blaine. A knucklehead would never have asked & thus never found out. And then likely would have burned all the plants with Sevin trying to kill a beneficial insect. You did great!

I learned something too. I hadn't realized some Dragonflies live as long as 6-7 months. Though as I knew, some last little longer than a week. While it was immature, yours might well have been dying of natural causes.

We sometimes have trouble accepting the fact that all Gods creatures will eventually drop dead. Sometimes right in front of us. And more often than not, of natural causes.

6/28/2004 5:24:31 PM