Common Picturewing: The Flying Floral Carpet

They are seldom found alone. Swarms of 10-30 hover above fields and trees in bloom, their glassy wings tinted yellow and black. I gawk at them exactly like I did two decades ago, mesmerised, and unblinking. I am referring to common picturewing dragonflies, most abundant after monsoon showers when the Indian countryside is verdant. These slow-moving, vivid insects floating against an azure blue sky are an exquisite sight. Don’t mistake them for the nectar-sucking flutterers of your gardens. Like all dragonflies, picturewings are insects that prey on other insects. They fly over blossoming trees to pick off visiting bees and flies, not to feed from the flowers. Yes, everything has checks and balances in nature, even the number of pollinators. Picturewings prey on tiny insects, including some pollinators, and keep their numbers under control. 

The common picturewing (Rhyothemis variegata) is a medium-sized dragonfly distributed across South and Southeast Asian countries. Its body is a dark metallic green, and its wings are coloured yellow with black spots. In contrast to most dragonfly species, the female is more colourful, its forewings washed with more yellow than in the male. It is an adaptable species, abundant in open habitats such as marshes, paddy fields, and ponds. By feeding on mosquito wrigglers (larvae) and other tiny creatures, its aquatic larvae grow, shed their outer skin multiple times, and emerge from their watery habitats in August-September. This is the time of “Onam”, the harvest festival in Kerala. During this season, the front yards in Kerala are adorned with designs made with flowers; similarly, with their fluttery flight on colourful wings, picturewings decorate the skies. For this reason, they are adoringly called “Onathumbi” in Kerala. However, with paddy fields giving way to high-rises and ponds getting filled to construct houses, land-scarce Kerala is on its way to losing even the last remnants of wilderness from areas not protected by law. This includes groves, wetlands and grasslands which are being built over for housing and businesses. The picturewing could very well fade away as a rustic memory for Malayalees.

The only way to save dragonflies, or any of the creatures on the planet, from going extinct is to assign them values that policymakers can objectively evaluate. The worth of dragonflies is their significant intermediate position in the food web. They act as prey for birds and other vertebrates higher up the trophic level (food chain) and are the prime invertebrate predators in most freshwater habitats. Dragonflies are picky eaters. Species like the green marsh hawk (Orthetrum sabina) prefer large prey such as smaller dragonflies and butterflies. Clubtails (Family: Gomphidae) are more audacious and can tackle dangerous prey such as wasps. I have witnessed wispy damselflies turning the tables and feeding on small spiders. But the common picturewing, like the globe skimmer (Pantala flavescens) with which it is often found, favours smaller insect prey like whiteflies and dipteran flies. Whiteflies are crop pests, and hence, by feeding on them, these dragonflies provide us free pest control services. Since the modern world spins on the axis of economics, it is important to quantify the services rendered by biodiversity in monetary terms. There have been efforts to measure the ecosystem services rendered by wild birds, but such studies on dragonflies are found wanting. Also, odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) have long been seen as valuable bioindicators of ecosystem health. Studies have proved that odonates offer a quick and inexpensive method to assess the quality of freshwater habitats. 

The other way to save species is by educating the masses and inculcating in them a love for nature. The common picturewing is the ideal dragonfly to introduce to people. With its butterfly-like flight and affable nature, it is sure to leave any human spellbound. Talk to them about its aquatic, spidery larval stage, and they will fall head over heels for it. The larva is very different from the adult in appearance and action. Smeared in mud, it lies in wait for unsuspecting prey. When the quarry gets close enough, it shoots out its mouthpart like a harpoon to pierce the hapless creature and munch it down promptly. Moreover, these tiny ambush predators can easily be grown in a fish tank. The sight of a dragonfly emerging after shedding the skin of its aquatic larval form can light the spark of interest in almost anyone. Globally, insect populations are in decline, prompting scientists to declare that we are facing an “insect apocalypse”. Insects form the foundation of Earth’s ecosystems. If we need a mascot to rally support for their conservation, the common picturewing is an ideal choice. Nicknamed “piku”, it was used as the icon of Dragonfly Festival 2021— an event organised by WWF India’s Kerala state office and Society for Odonate Studies (SOS) to celebrate dragonflies. As a child, the picturewing was one of the first creatures I got acquainted with. They lure you with their slow, effortless flight. Just as you stretch your hands to catch one, they dart away, leaving you stumped. I still do this, playfully pretending to catch them, when I roam the remaining wetlands of Kerala as a researcher studying dragonflies. I hope these insects are resilient to the changes we are bringing about on the planet, and I can continue mock catching them.