Øyenstikker is Norwegian for “eye poker.”

In some cultures, they are regarded as sinister or evil; one Romanian folk tale insists they were once a horse possessed by the devil.  Others will argue that the devil uses them to weigh peoples’ souls, and they are often associated with snakes, some saying they stitch snakes back together after they’ve been injured.  However, in other, primarily Native American cultures, they are associated with swiftness and activity, and in Navajo legends, they represent pure water.

Looking at one, its easy to see that a creature so bizarre, so beautiful, as a dragonfly would evoke such imaginative stories.  To me, they don’t evoke thoughts of evil demons or some sort of siren able to heal an injured snake.  To me, they represent change: summer turning to fall, days growing shorter, and leaves changing color.  Right now in southern California, the dragonflies are quite numerous near any body of water, especially ponds and marshes.

Black Saddlebags Dragonfly, Tramea lacerata, September 2010

Although they may have no inherent mystical qualities, dragonflies do carry the names of warriors, sorcerers, and wizards: Black Saddlebags, Variegated Meadowhawk, Western Pondhawk, Azure Hawker.  At least 20 species of dragonfly are found in southern California.  Recently, on a trip to a local wildlife area, a friend pointed out a species to me that has only been seen a handful of times in the whole state, and–we think–only once in our county: the Striped Saddlebags.

Striped Saddlebags, Tramea calverti, September 2010

In addition to just looking pretty cool, dragonflies have some pretty interesting behavior as well.  In the photo below, a Variegated Meadowhawk is displaying an obelisk behavior, where it orients its abdomen toward the sun, thereby minimizing contact with solar radiation, cooling itself.

Variegated Meadowhawk, Sympetrum corruptum, displaying obelisk behavior, September 2010

The green darners in the photo below are displaying part of their mating behavior: the male (on right) is holding the female to the water while she oviposits (lays eggs) on the submerged branch.  Presumably, he is also protecting her from other males while she lays eggs.  More properly, he is probably protecting his sperm, since other males could mate with her, “ousting” his sperm.

Common Green Darner Dragonfly, Anax junius, September 2010

In homage to the mythical Øyenstikker, I’ve updated all of my dragonfly species pages, and you can view all of them by clicking here to visit my miscellaneous animal page.