Dragonflies by Dirk V Herp

About "Dragonflies"

by Dirk V Herp

About the artwork

Dragonflies 71 species of dragonflies have been observed in the Netherlands. This is a relatively high number, especially considering that some 80 species have been observed in much larger Germany. In northwest Europe, the number is about 95. Notable are the agile head with 2 large facet eyes, sometimes consisting of up to 29,000 facets. Also important are the strong, biting mouthparts that gave the order its scientific name Odonata. Attached to the thorax are 4 elongated wings, independently controlled by strong flight muscles. The wings are intersected with a net of veins and, incidentally, are not flat which adds to their sturdiness. Also notable is the pterostigma (wing spot) which is a little heavier and provides stability when flying. All this makes dragonflies good and highly manoeuvrable fliers that hover or fly backwards in the air with great ease. Together with their elongated abdomen, this inspired the first helicopter designs. In fact, in countries such as Armenia and Turkey, these insects are popularly referred to as "helicopters". Below the thorax are still the 3 pairs of legs that act as a kind of trap in flight. The abdomen (10 segments) contains the reproductive organs in addition to the digestive and respiratory systems. The sex opening is in the last segments in both sexes as in all insects, but unique is the presence in males of a copulatory organ under the second abdominal segment. As a result, mating dragonflies provide an image referred to as "mating wheel" or also "mating heart". In males, the abdomen appendages serve as pincers to grip the female during mating.