Green Darner Dragonflies At Rosetta McClain Gardens

Green Darner Dragonfly - closeup on rose bush  - Rosetta McClain Gardens - Toronto

Green Darner Dragonfly - closeup on pink flower - Rosetta McClain Gardens - Toronto

When Bob and I dropped into Rosetta McClain Gardens for a brief walkabout, the last thing we expected to see were hundreds of Green Darner Dragonflies darting in and around the expansive flower beds.  When one such dragonfly lit on a flower head, we had the opportunity for a very close look at its anatomy.   Green Darner Dragonflies can be positively identified by the black bulls-eye in front of their large brown eyes.

Rosetta McClain Gardens - fountain and pergola - Toronto

Rosetta McClain Gardens, situated in Scarborough, Ontario, is a gem of a park with formal gardens and a central water fountain that features a massive upright boulder.

Green Darner Dragonflies fly above Lake Ontario, Toronto

At the south end of the gardens, situated on the Scarborough Bluffs,  we had a lovely view of Lake Ontario.   As we looked out over the water, a large number of Green Darner Dragonflies were flying just offshore.

Rosetta McClain Gardens - decorative gardens - Toronto

This 23-acre park was originally created by Robert Watson McClain, his wife, Rosetta, and her brother, Joseph McDonald.  It was later donated to the City of Toronto in memory of Rosetta.  As a matter of fact, a portion of the original McClain home is still standing on the property, a reminder of the family’s generosity.

Rosetta McClain Gardens - formal rose garden - Toronto

Bob and I actually were looking for butterflies the day we visited the gardens, so we headed straight for the rose gardens as they are bordered by Butterfly Bushes (Buddleia) that reliably attract butterflies.

bees on white flowers - Rosetta McClain Gardens - Toronto

A vast array of plants were in bloom so the whole area was abuzz with bees that were gathering pollen or perhaps nectar…

Green Darner Dragonfly - sits upon pink flower - Rosetta McClain Gardens - Toronto

and the Joe Pye Weed plants were drooping under the weight of masses of flower heads.

Green Darner Dragonfly - profile - Rosetta McClain Gardens - Toronto

It wasn’t until we looked very closely that we spied a Green Darner Dragonfly taking a much-needed rest where it was carefully camouflaged atop the delicate feathery flowers.

Green Darner Dragonfly - on pink flower - Rosetta McClain Gardens - Toronto

The purple colouration of the abdomen of this Green Darner Dragonfly indicates that it is a female.  This species of dragonfly is dimorphic which means that the male and female differ in appearance.  They both have a green thorax (the middle part of the body), but the abdomen of the male is blue.

Green Darner Dragonfly - lands on jeans straw hat - Oxtongue lake - Ontario

On a different occasion, when our family was camping at The Pinery Provincial Park on Lake Huron, another female Green Darner Dragonfly decided that my straw hat made a good place to take a break.

Green Darner Dragonfly - on jeans straw hat - Oxtongue lake - Ontario

An alternate name for these beautiful insects is Common Green Darner because the body shape resembles a darning needle.  As children, my sister and I used to call them darning needles, and that was before we had any knowledge as to their true scientific name.

praying mantis on jeans back, Frontenac Provincial Park, ontario

For whatever reason, large-scale insects seem to find me attractive.  While hiking in Frontenac Provincial Park a couple of years ago, I was alerted to the hitchhiker on my back by my slightly alarmed daughter.  A Praying Mantis of gigantic proportions  met me eye to eye when I looked over my shoulder for a peek at the interloper.

praying mantis, Frontenac Provincial Park, ontario

Perhaps my light green shirt played a role in this close encounter of the insect kind even though this Praying Mantis was of the brown variety.  These fascinating insects can be up to 6 inches long, and are formidable predators in the insect world, even having been known to capture and consume a hummingbird.

praying mantis lands on jeans back, frontenac provincial park, ontario

The Praying Mantis was likely using its advantage of extra height to survey the surroundings for possible prey.  With their 5 eyes, 3 simple eyes between 2 compound eyes, and a head that is capable of rotating almost 180 degrees on a very flexible neck, these capable insects can see a distance of 20 metres.

white tailed deer at frontenac provincial park, ontario

Bob and I weren’t too concerned about the mantis as we were preoccupied with observing a young deer that had stopped to check us out.

Green Darner Dragonfly - closeup on rose bush - Rosetta McClain Gardens - Toronto

But back at Rosetta McClain Gardens, we were mesmerized by yet another inactive Green Darner Dragonfly that had come to rest on the leaves of a rosebush.  These dragonflies can grow to be 3 inches long with a wingspan of up to 4 1/2 inches.  Besides being one of the largest dragonflies, they are also some of the fastest.

Green Darner Dragonfly - sitting on rose bush - Rosetta McClain Gardens - Toronto

Most of the Green Darner Dragonflies that Bob and I saw that day were airborne, darting here and there like miniature helicopters navigating amongst the various garden structures.  The reason for so many gathered in one place is that they actually come together into swarms before migrating south, much as birds do, and they use the same flight paths.

Green Darner Dragonfly - back of head - Rosetta McClain Gardens - Toronto

The delicate structure of their translucent wings belies the fact that they are capable of flying great distances, making their way as far south as Mexico at the onset of cold fronts in the fall.  It is not these adult dragonflies that will return in the spring, however.  It is their offspring, for those that breed once they reach their winter grounds, that will make the return trip.

bees atop a white flower - Rosetta McClain Gardens - Toronto

The Gardens settled into the silence of a late summer’s day as the afternoon waned, and soft breaths of wind stirred the tall flower stalks while pollen-clad bees busied themselves at what bees do.

Rosetta McClain Gardens - flower garden - Toronto

Although we saw only a couple of species of butterflies that afternoon, the visit to Rosetta McClain Gardens had been well worth the trip.

Rosetta McClain Gardens - fountain and large rock - Toronto

With its central fountain, ivy-clad trellises, historical ruins, and sprawling gardens, it is worth a visit at any time of the year.

Frame To Frame – Bob and Jean

4 comments

  • From Facebook:

    Pat Softly wrote:

    “We had about 100 of them in our park too. Beautiful photo!”

  • Dragonflies are essential, because they feed on mosquitos. There is a nature reserve on Honshu, for an endangered dragonfly in Japan.

    • I did not know that there is an endangered dragonfly in Japan. It is great that a nature reserve has been set up to try to protect these wonderful insects. Thanks for the info, Tim.

      • There are 18 endangered insects and arachnids (spider family) in the United States. Most are butterflies, but losing them we are pollinators, insect controllers — such as dragonflies and spiders, disposal agents — such as the burying beetle, and food for other animals. Many fishes depend on insect larvae for food. Mayfly larvae are filet mignon for many of them.

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