WESTERLY, R.I. – A day at the beach turned into something out of a movie in Rhode Island when a massive swarm of dragonflies descended on beachgoers.
Videos posted to social media show some on Misquamicut Beach in Westerly covering up with towels Saturday as the insects flew overhead by the thousands.
“I’m kind of scared,” one person is heard saying in a video posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, by user @Getlucky12341. “Is the world ending?”
“Hundreds of thousands of dragonflies”
“Invasion of the Dragonflies!” was the caption Mark Stickney chose for the video he posted to Facebook. He told WBZ-TV he got to the beach at about 11 a.m. and “started seeing dragonflies everywhere.”
The largest swam moved in from the ocean at about 1 p.m.
“It must’ve numbered in the hundreds of thousands of dragonflies,” Stickney said. “It was surreal.”
He said the dragonflies weren’t bothering anybody, and most beachgoers stayed put. Stickney said the insects reminded him of X-wing fighters from “Star Wars.”
“I thought it was amazing,” he said. “It was an astonishing sight.”
What causes a dragonfly swarm?
Ginger Brown, a dragonfly expert in Rhode Island, said the swarm took place outside the typical migration period for dragonflies that’s between mid-August and mid-September. She said dragonflies have been known to relocate if their habitats of swamps and bogs dry up.
“It is entirely possible that’s what we’re seeing now,” Brown said. “They can travel long distances with relative ease.”
Brown said dragonflies are a key part of the ecosystem, as they eat mosquitos and other pests, and also serve as food for birds and even carnivorous plants.
“They’re extremely important in that web of life,” she said.
Brown added that anyone who gets caught in a dragonfly swarm has no reason to be afraid.
“Just enjoy the phenomenon,” she said. “They have excellent vision, they’re not going to fly into your face.”