The process of dragonflies being united or joined together has puzzled many naturalists and botanists, but a new study from the University of Georgia may help explain how this occurs. In this study, David R. Ellis of the Department of Wildlife and Environmental Sciences showed that the process of dragonflies being united or joined is actually a common natural process in nature. Specifically, he found that dragonflies begin to molt when they are under stressful conditions. When the circumstances are not as they should be for growth, the dragonflies are forced to either withdraw or endure their metamorphosis.
Dragonflies usually live in both soil and pile, depending on the species. When the dragonfly needs to make a metamorphosis due to some environmental changes, it will change its habitats; it will either die or molt. Ellis found that dragonflies were most often metamorphosed in two locations underground and in manures. He found that when he mixed manure with peat he could attract dragonflies more easily and that when he mixed compost with soil he lost a lot of the dragonflies he was trying to attract. This suggests that the combining of materials is what draws them in and that the lack of elements is what kills them.
When the dragonfly dies or molt, it falls into a hole in the pile or on the ground. If it cannot move out of the pile or on the ground quickly enough, it will stay there until it dies. In nature, pile feeding is important because food that is left to sit on the surface for an extended period of time can rot and draw insects. This is why it is important to put manures, especially young manures, in the compost. This way, the nutrients will be used up before the dragonflies in the pile eat it. In this study, the mixing of the two manures-dried manure and peat-worked into a hill pile was successful in attracting dragonflies, making it an attractive place for the dragonfly to rest.