Dragon Flies...Lots and lots of them

[Marshall]

My question is probably stupid but that never stopped me before so here goes.
What in the hell are they bomb diving into the surface of the pond for ? alot of them end up drowning and I wonder what makes them do this?

 

[Nepen]

laying eggs? that's what I thought anyway. I saw one that just sit on the lily pad and laid eggs but most of the time I saw them just dive bomb like you said.

 

[Chelseabreeze]

Being that they began life under water, they're just trying to go back to whence they came, but no longer can. J/k

More seriously, maybe they're either trying to grab a meal of mosquito larvae or very small tadpoles that position vertically at the surface exposing their mouth, assumingly to get their fix of air, thus exposing themselves to predators of various sorts.

 

[houseguitarshop]

got a close up of this one yesterday

 

[Dave 54]

I would say that they are after food , the only time an adult dragon fly goes into the water propper its female with a male holding onto it so that it can break surface after shes laid her eggs

Dave

 

[Nepen]

I think it's probably depend on how they dip in the water. Mine were using the end of their tail to dip in the water, hovering over the pond the dip down with their tail touching the water surface. I wouldnt think that's catching food So do you know how they dive boming down? by their body or by their tail?

 

[addy1]

They deposit their eggs on plants or right in the water.

 

[sissy]

I see the bats get many of the ones here ,but still have a lot more than ever before .

 

[DrCase]

I always like to see the mosquito eaters what ever they do