In a scene reminiscent of a horror movie, a huge swarm of dragonflies descended on a beach in the US state of Rhode Island on Saturday, sending beachgoers screaming and running for cover.
Videos posted on social media showed how the insects covered Misquamicut Beach, prompting screams, laughter and amazement from onlookers. Some ran to escape the swarm, others hid themselves under beach towels, while a few brave souls pulled out their phones to capture videos.
“It was a dragonfly apocalypse,” said Michael Grover, who filmed the extraordinary event Fox Weather,
Another eyewitness, Richard Sonntag, described the phenomenon as an “invasion.” Beachgoers compared the sudden arrival of dragonflies to the plague described in the Bible.
Mark Stickney recalled the enormity of the swarm. “It was amazing. I was shocked by the sheer number of them,” he told the Boston Globe, estimating there to be tens of thousands of dragonflies.
Helen Dombrowski and her family saw the swarm grow rapidly in the early morning. She described the dragonflies as a “dark blob” moving rapidly toward them over the water.
Dragonfly migrations are common in North America during late summer and early fall. These swarms form when dragonflies gather to breed or to feed on small insects disturbed by weather or human activity. Swarms can be so dense that they show up on radar.
Dragonflies prey mainly on mosquitoes and flies, but they have also been seen attacking small birds. However, they pose no threat to humans.