Swarm of dragonflies startles beachgoers in Rhode Island
WESTERLY, RI — A swarm of dragonflies surprised beachgoers in Rhode Island this past weekend.
Thousands of dragonflies, relatively large and often brightly colored insects, descended on Misquamicut Beach on Saturday. Video footage of the dragonflies showed beachgoers running for cover and hiding under blankets. People could be heard screaming.
It is unclear what caused the cloud of insects to remain on the beach for several minutes and then largely disappear.
“One minute everything was calm. The next minute I saw the most dragonflies I’ve ever seen in my life,” Nicole Taylor said WFSB-TV. βIt lasted about 3 minutes, and then they were gone. It was a very strange experience.β
Christina Vangel, who works at Alfie’s Beach Store, said workers had to shoo the dragonflies away. “As the day went on, there were loads of them everywhere. We had to close the doors,” she said.
Chris Fiore, whose family owns Alfie’s, across the street from the beach, marveled at the unique dragonfly attack. “It was mesmerizing. There were big clouds of them,” he said.
Dragonflies feed primarily on insects such as mosquitoes and midges, and rely on a swiveling head and large eyes to catch their prey. Some species breed in July and August, including the common green darner dragonfly found in Rhode Island. They do not normally sting or bite humans.