Dragonflies and damselflies are a common sight in Clay Center as the summer comes to an end. You may notice them in large numbers around the area late in the summer or early fall.

Seeing the dragonflies in your yard can be considered a sign of good luck. They are also voracious eaters of mosquitos. One dragonfly can eat hundreds of mosquitos each day.

Many more dragonflies may be in the area to mate or escape predators like the Mississippi Kite. Mississippi Kites like dragonflies as a food source. Kites are a migratory bird that arrives in late summer. The dragonflies may leave their usual habitat to escape the Kites.
Today’s dragonflies look very similar to their ancient cousins but are much smaller. The largest prehistoric insects were dragonflies. They had wingspans of up to 30 inches, and lived about 250 million years ago.