We have all seen a dragonfly.
It appears for a few seconds over a pond or a lake, hovers almost effortlessly in the air, darts away at unbelievable speed and disappears before we can admire it properly. Most of us don’t give it another thought.
But perhaps we should.
Scientists are now paying closer attention to dragonflies than ever before—not because they are colourful or beautiful, but because they may be warning us about something much bigger than their own survival. The disappearance of dragonflies often points towards the declining health of freshwater ecosystems, making them one of nature’s most reliable environmental indicators.
That warning has become especially important for India.
A major survey conducted between 2021 and 2023 across 144 locations in the Western Ghats, covering Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Gujarat, recorded 143 species of dragonflies and damselflies, including 40 species found nowhere else in the world. While that may sound impressive, researchers also found something worrying—they were able to document only around 65% of the species that had previously been recorded in the region.
Scientists say some species may simply have been missed because they are rare or seasonal. But they also caution that pollution, habitat destruction, tourism, hydropower projects, climate change and changing land use may already be causing genuine declines.
That’s where the story becomes interesting.
Nature’s tiny water inspector
Unlike butterflies or bees, dragonflies spend a surprisingly large part of their lives underwater.
The adult dragonfly we admire for a few weeks or months may have spent months—and in some species even years—as an aquatic larva hidden beneath the surface of a pond or stream. Only after completing this underwater childhood does it emerge into the air as the fast-flying insect we recognise.
Because dragonflies depend on both clean water and healthy land habitats, even small environmental changes can affect them.
This is why scientists call them bioindicators. Their presence—or sudden disappearance—can reveal the health of freshwater ecosystems long before humans notice that something is wrong. According to recent research, around 16% of dragonfly and damselfly species worldwide are already threatened with extinction, with habitat loss, pollution and climate change among the biggest reasons.
In simple words, when dragonflies disappear, it isn’t always the insect that’s the real story.
The water is.
One of nature’s greatest hunters
For an insect that looks so delicate, the dragonfly is surprisingly ruthless.
Its two pairs of wings work almost independently, allowing it to hover, fly backwards, brake suddenly and change direction in the blink of an eye. Very few insects possess this level of aerial control.
Then come its eyes.
A dragonfly’s enormous compound eyes cover most of its head, giving it an exceptionally wide field of vision and making it extremely sensitive to movement.
Its legs aren’t really designed for walking either.
Instead, they form a basket-like structure that catches insects while flying. Mosquitoes, flies, midges and several other insects become its prey, making dragonflies one of nature’s most efficient pest controllers.
The next time you see one hovering above a lake, remember that you’re watching one of the world’s most skilled aerial hunters in action.
The insect that refuses to stay in one place
For years, scientists believed migration was mostly limited to birds and a handful of famous insects like butterflies.
Dragonflies have completely changed that understanding.
A global review published in 2026 identified 100 dragonfly and damselfly species that migrate, while another 85 are believed to do so. Among them is perhaps the most extraordinary traveller of all—the wandering glider, also known as the globe skimmer.
This tiny insect, weighing only a fraction of a gram, has been linked to one of the longest insect migrations ever recorded.
Researchers have found evidence of multi-generational journeys between India and East Africa, covering nearly 18,000 kilometres. Instead of completing the journey alone, different generations continue the migration, using seasonal monsoon winds as their natural highways across continents.
It’s almost unbelievable.
An insect small enough to sit on your finger is capable of travelling farther than many people will in their entire lifetime.
Yet despite possessing such incredible flying abilities, dragonflies face a problem they cannot simply fly away from.
Their entire life begins in freshwater.
And when those habitats disappear, even the world’s greatest insect travellers may have nowhere left to begin the next generation. Continued in part 2.
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