An enormous swarm of dragonflies descended upon a popular Rhode Island beach on Saturday, leaving sunbathers in awe as children screamed and tried to swat away the insects to no avail.
An epic cluster of the flying bugs was caught on camera at the crowded Misquamicut Beach, in Westerly, WCVB reported.
Footage recorded by beachgoer Richard Sontag shows a plague of near-biblical proportions as shrill screams were heard in the background:
Would you stay or go? ⛱️⁉️ Dragonflies swarmed a busy Rhode Island beach on Saturday — you can hear children screaming as they flew past. https://t.co/xSc1cvImf9 pic.twitter.com/KnhPNf3UUI
— WCVB-TV Boston (@WCVB) July 28, 2024
According to Sontag, it felt like a dragonfly “invasion.”
“I was enjoying a nice day at Misquamicut State Beach until we endured a dragonfly apocalypse,” another beachgoer, Stephanie Martin, told the outlet.
The common green darner dragonfly that is found in Rhode Island typically reproduces in July and August, according to the National Science Foundation.
“The breeding behavior of males includes their selecting a territory that is attractive to females, which they must defend from other would-be mates,” a 2006 article states. “Males are often observed holding races over ponds and duel in spectacular aerial battles for the rights to mate with the female darners in that territory.”
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