"Strange experience"

Thousands of dragonflies startled bathers

On Rhode Island, thousands of dragonflies have startled and confused swimmers.(Bild: X/AcuWeather)

Swimmers in Rhode Island had an unusual experience: thousands of dragonflies flew over the beach at Misquamicut in the smallest US state of Rhode Island on Saturday. People were startled and hid under blankets.

"I've never seen anything like it in my life," said one beachgoer. On a video recording, the sky is partly black with dragonflies. They seem to be flying faster and faster. "Oh, my God. That's crazy," says someone. Some of them scream.

Some hide under blankets. Other beachgoers remain completely calm, laugh and take photos of the swarm of dragonflies.

Here you can see the video recording.

Over after a few minutes
The incident only lasted a few minutes. It is not yet clear how this could have happened. Beach visitor Nicole Taylor described the experience as "very strange." On the X platform, users wrote of a "bad sign", "a good thing" because dragonflies eat mosquitoes, or simply that they were surprised that more people had not reacted in panic.

Do not bite
Dragonflies don't usually bite or sting humans, as X correctly points out. They mainly feed on insects such as mosquitoes and midges. Some species breed in July and August, including the green damselfly, which is found in Rhode Island.

Rhode Island is part of the New England region and is the smallest state in the USA. It takes its name from an island, and its coastline is almost 800 kilometers long.