The Wandering Glider (Pantala flavescens)
One morning a few weeks ago, I stepped out into my yard and entered a familiar place, my pollinator garden. Almost immediately I spotted a plain looking Dragonfly resting on a branch soaking up the early sunlight. It had large eyes, clear veined wings, and a body that was light green and dull yellow. I was lucky that I came out early and it was still at rest, for I was able to sneak up and snap a couple of pictures. Seconds later, it flew up and circled the garden in effortless flight.
I’ve learned something important in recent years. When we take the time and effort to look closer at the life that lives all around us, we see so much more that we ever thought possible. There are thousands of species living in the places near where we live that we regularly pass by and never learn anything about. Some of these are truly incredible creatures that inspire us, wow us with their beauty, or surprise us with a unique ability. Life on this planet is amazing, and a wonderful slice of it is happening every day just outside our doors. As I have looked closer at what lives in the world around me, it became obvious that God did not make a simple world for us to live in. It is truly astounding in its complexity and function, yet in equal measure, it is filled with beauty and life giving qualities.
When I went back in to have a morning cup of coffee, I thought about the visitor I had just seen. It looked a little different than other dragonflies I had seen recently. So, I uploaded my pictures and used an app to help me identify it. It came up as a Wandering Glider. Hmm, something I had never seen before, and I felt honored that this new visitor felt inclined to stop by this tiny garden within God’s vast creation.
As I sipped my coffee, I began to read about this creature. There was a lot of information about this one, perhaps because it was an unusually widespread insect. Infact, the most widespread Dragonfly on the entire earth. But, even more surprising to me was its ability as a long distance traveler. This small bug is perhaps the most exceptional migrator and navigator I had ever heard of. Some populations of the Wandering Glider have multigenerational migrations that span over eleven thousand miles. They travel across continents, the worlds highest mountain ranges, even vast oceans to follow the wet warm seasons of winds and moisture such as the famous monsoons.
I read about a scientist who studied one of their most amazing journeys. He found that a very large population of these insects migrate across the entire Indian Ocean from East Africa to India, nearly two thousand miles. Out over the water, these Dragonflies cannot land, or eat, but somehow they have enough strength to cover this distance flying nonstop in about five days. They use an inate knowledge of the weather and seasons to follow the monsoons and weather patterns of this region. They ride on the winds of these storms at just the right times and altitudes like fine skilled sailors. Back and forth they fly from Africa to India and from India to Africa over and over, for multiple generations. It just so happens that these weather patterns bring rains which wet the land, allowing this dragonfly to successfully lay millions of eggs into puddles and ponds on both continents. Being the voracious preditor they are, their larva consume literally billions of mosquito larva in these pools of water, keeping the pest populations in check and reducing the spread of infectious diseases like Malaria and Dengue.
After a couple days, the Wandering Gliders who had visited my humble garden moved on, likely to the north to a place of there own knowing. But I have not forgotten them. Life is truly surprising, and I’m reminded what an incredible place this Earth is when I see something that may not appear that special, but really blows me away. It strengthens my belief in God to see these wonders in the world that He created. I believe we all benefit from eachother and that this place is not just for us, but for all the life that lives here. It strengthens my resolve that it is absolutely worth protecting, because all of God’s creatures and plants each can tell similarly amazing stories. How important then that we try to save this place and keep things intact as best we can. For God created all of this abundant creation for our benefit and also for the prosperity of the life that lives here.
