A Massive Dragonfly Swarm Over North Carolina Is Bringing Good Luck

If you’re among the many who consider a dragonfly an omen of forthcoming good fortune, then prepare for something good coming your way. More than a week ago, a huge swarm of unknown origin wreaked havoc on the radar for National Weather Service stations in Ohio. After further analysis, it was determined the source of the huge mass seen on the radar – was dragonflies. As luck would have it, earlier this week, a National Weather Service center in Virginia spotted a similar mass on the radar over parts of Virginia and North Carolina – a mass that’s assumed to be the same swarm of dragonflies.

While most of us have encountered the occasional passing by of a lot of dragonflies all at once…

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Technically speaking… a swarm of them is considered to be at least 20-30 thousand dragonflies. Seen here on an image released by the National Weather Service in Wakefield, VA, the swarm was likely headed south a few days ago and, at that time, had almost reached Rocky Mount.

National Weather Service

Worldwide, there are nearly 5,000 species of dragonflies. Fossils indicate that in ancient times, dragonflies may have sported a wingspan as large as 30 inches. Of course, today’s dragonflies are nowhere near that size.

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Speaking of wings, today’s largest of dragonflies are believed to reach a maximum travel speed of 22-34 miles per hour, but most cruise at just under 10 miles per hour.

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They have the capability to cross an ocean if they want, but most likely follow a flight path that brings them over ponds and pools of standing water that are easily spotted during the day when the sun reflects upon the water.

Wikipedia/André Karwath aka Aka

Where the dragonflies traveled beyond the weird radar captured over Virginia and northeastern North Carolina above is a mystery, but it’s very likely, since they appear to be the same swarm of dragonflies from Ohio last week, that they’ll continue their trek southward during this migration.

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Throughout history, various cultural beliefs have followed the dragonfly. The most popular folklore deems that spotting a dragonfly will bring a positive transformation your way in the form of good luck. And if one lands on you… well, it may be time to buy a lottery ticket.

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Have you spotted more dragonflies lately than usual? And have you heard of other omens (good or bad) that are associated with spotting this beloved insect? We’d love to hear from you in the comments!