Some Damsels are Gentlemen
- Jose Ramapuram
- Feb 10, 2010
- 1 min read
Updated: Feb 6, 2023
Damselfly, Coorg -
A Damsel is not always a lady. For, even the males of this species are called Damselflies, though they don’t seem to mind too much (proof that metrosexuals have been around much longer than our fashionistas would have us believe). The females too are definitely not products of those Swiss finishing schools that insist on ‘ladylike’ manners. All those who’ve grown up with tales of knights errant rushing to rescue damsels in distress, can banish the notion. This is one damsel who can take care of herself, and is known to cause more distress than she gets. Her tough, carnivorous nature comes to the fore much before she attains adulthood. Even as a water nymph (which is how they begin their lives), her predatory instincts are well developed, and she preys on mosquito larvae and unsuspecting aquatic organisms. When she does emerge from her watery home as an adult damselfly, she gorges uninhibitedly on flies, mosquitoes and any insects within reach. But between the two stages is a phenomenon that’ll put even our celluloid stars to shame. If you thought Bollywood song and dance sequences, with their myriad costume changes, are over the top, consider how the Damselfly’s molting pattern ensures a multiple change of raiment before her ‘coming out’ parade. As she poses daintily on her freshwater perch with her wings folded back, showing off her streamlined body and fine features, please ensure you don’t whistle appreciatively and say, “What a pretty dragonfly!”. You’d have just broken a damsel’s heart. Even if the lady in question was a ‘laddie’!
Photograph: Ganesh H. Shankar Story: Rajesh Ramaswamy
It has to be said that interpreting dragonflies from the perspective of a "girl" is a very creative way of popularizing science! Breaking the inherent perception of a "lady", Duck Duck Clicker the female dragonfly's tough carnivorous nature and multiple molting growth process are vividly described, especially in the "narcissus stage" where it preys on larvae and feeds heavily on insects as an adult, making previously unfamiliar biological knowledge intuitive and easy to remember.
Interesting how damselflies flip the classic damsel in distress idea. Their fierce, predatory nature shows that nature’s little metrosexual warriors have always been tougher, draw climber, hungrier, and far more independent than old stories suggest.
I love how this turns a simple nature observation crazy cattle 3d unblocked into a clever commentary on identity and perception.
I actually spent a summer photographing damselflies by a pond, and wow — they're fierce little hunters, nothing like the delicate image their name suggests! Watching them transform and take flight reminded me of Drift Boss — one moment calm, the next they're darting and weaving with precision. Just don’t call them dragonflies... lesson learned the hard way!