52. The Emperor Dragonfly

Malta isn't particularly rich in dragonflies, which is no surprise as we don't have much dragonfly habitat: lakes, ponds, pools and rivers. However we do get a dozen or so species, and king among them is the Emperor Dragonfly. The royal title is because of its large size and dazzling metallic blue colour. The Emperor (M: mazzarell sultan) is also the biggest Maltese insect. Dragonflies need water at various stages of their life, especially the first part, since that's where eggs are laid and where the larvae hatch and grow, feeding voraciously on small aquatic animals, even tadpoles. When they emerge and spread their wings, they still haunt open bodies of water, as this is where they usually find their favourite food, mosquitoes, which they catch in mid-air.

Text and photo by Victor Falzon.

Copyright to Birdlife Malta.