Hitchhikers
August 24th, 2013
Those little things that look like growths on the dragonfly are water mites. It's only by chance that they're the same color as he is. Water mites latch onto dragonflies during their larval, water-dwelling phase. When an infested larva climbs up out of the water, sheds its skin and becomes an adult dragonfly, the mites quickly scamper off the shed skin and back onto their host. They can then stowaway to a new pond or stream.
August 24th, 2013
Those little things that look like growths on the dragonfly are water mites. It's only by chance that they're the same color as he is. Water mites latch onto dragonflies during their larval, water-dwelling phase. When an infested larva climbs up out of the water, sheds its skin and becomes an adult dragonfly, the mites quickly scamper off the shed skin and back onto their host. They can then stowaway to a new pond or stream.
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