Video. ‘It’s unbelievable’, ‘menacing black spots in the water’: Thousands of dragonflies invade a beach and surprise bathers

It was a rare sight for swimmers. On Saturday July 27, 2024, several thousand dragonflies invaded a beach on the northeast coast of the United States, we learned. The Boston Globe.

This Saturday July 27th, Several thousand dragonflies flew over the Miskamigut Beach in Westerlyin the state of Rhode Island in the northeastern United States. Bathers had to take refuge from the arrival of insects. Witnesses did not hesitate to take out their cell phones and cameras to film this strange phenomenon, which some of them described “An Apocalyptic Scene”. Videos shared on social media are widely broadcast, It charms the audience and upsets some.

“Millions or more”

In the videos, you can see Clouds of dragonflies fly frantically over the beach Bathers try to protect themselves with their towel or parasol. While some swimmers panicked and ran for cover, others were unfazed by the scene unfolding before their eyes. Mark Stickney, 63, also shared his passion with the Boston Globe : “It was incredible, I was surprised by their numbers”.

The sixty-year-old first saw swarms of dragonflies Closes the fence Behind him, around 11 a.m. Later in the morning, waves of insects invaded the rest of the beach. First, swarms of dragonflies “Looked like an ominous black spot above the water”, He described Helen Dombrowski, who came with her family. “I’ve never seen anything like it, and I find it amazing.”, she added. According to his calculations, there were “Millions or more”.

“A Miracle”

Other bathers were much less impressed by the scene He used nets to catch insects. Others panicked and started running for shelter. Dragonflies “flew too fast” And The massive swarm lasted about five minutes.

If dragonfly migrations occur in late summer each year in North America, “It’s a wonder to see so many dragonflies on the beach”Virginia G. said Brown, a dragonfly expert and author Dragonflies and damselflies of Rhode Island. “It doesn’t happen every day, it’s unbelievable.”In September of 2021, he observed dragonfly migration waves along the Narragansett coast in the northeastern United States, especially since these hybrids typically don’t live more than a year.

According to experts, weather conditions may explain the massive presence of dragonflies. In 2021, during the last significant migration, the insects waited until storms died down in Rhode Island.