A massive swarm of dragonflies descended on a Rhode Island beach, forcing terrified beachgoers to take cover as their day in the sun turned into something reminiscent of a biblical plague.
Beachgoers were heard screaming as a cloud of insects invaded Misquamicut State Beach in Westerly on Saturday afternoon.
The video shows a swarm of dragonflies flying across the beach past dozens of frightened visitors, hitting towels, umbrellas and passing over the bodies of bathers.
Children could be heard screaming as they swatted away the insects with shovels and their toes. Some beachgoers gathered their things and left, while others crouched down and sought shelter in their cars.
Witnesses recalled that other visitors apparently joined in the chaotic “invasion.” They stood and watched as the insects flew by and some even “tried to catch them.”
A massive swarm of dragonflies descended on Misquamicut State Beach in Westerly, Rhode Island, on Saturday afternoon.
Helene Dombrowski, who filmed the gruesome incident, estimates that “millions” of insects “flying quite fast” invaded the beach at around 12 p.m.
Helene Dombrowski, who filmed the chilling incident, estimates there were “hundreds” of dragonflies on the beach when she arrived at around 9.30am on Saturday.
By midday, he said, “millions” of insects “flying pretty fast” had invaded the beach, located about 50 miles from the capital city of Providence.
“Holy crap. Look at this, my God,” said Dombrowski, 52, as he recorded the “beautiful” incident. “Look at the swarm here. I’ve never seen anything like this in my life.”
She laughed as insects flew over her and her companions.
Although Dombrowski was somewhat surprised by the phenomenon, she recalled that other bathers seemed quite frightened.
“Some people were screaming while others were trying to catch them,” he told Storyful.
Some beachgoers gathered their things and left as the swarm flew in, while others crouched and watched the phenomenon unfold.
A bather points out a swarm of dragonflies invading the beach on Saturday afternoon.
Some beachgoers were heard screaming as a cloud of insects invaded Misquamicut State Beach in Westerly on Saturday, while others laughed at the scene.
Richard Sontag, who was among the thousands of beachgoers affected by the swarm, called the incident an “invasion.”
Stephanie Martin said Community of Neighbors Neighbors‘I was enjoying a nice day at Misquamicut State Beach until we suffered a dragonfly apocalypse.’
Another witness called the spectacle “unbelievable” and said he was “blown away by the sheer number of them.”
“It was one of those spectacles of nature that you rarely get to see, so I was very happy,” said Mark Stickney, 63. The Boston Globe.
Dombrowski, who said the massive swarm only lasted about five minutes, added: “I thought it was beautiful. I was very lucky to be able to witness it.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it. Maybe a few dozen dragonflies at a time, but never in that number.”
A bather is seen filming as ‘millions’ of dragonflies swarm the beach
Dragonfly swarms tend to occur in the summer months when the insects are breeding or after the smaller insects they feed on are thrown into the air by human or weather disturbances. University of Western Australia reported.
Individual swarms can include billions of dragonflies and in some cases have been so large that they are detected by radar systems.
Dragonflies feed on mosquitoes and various flies, but may also hunt small mammals such as hummingbirds.
Although a huge swarm may seem terrifying, experts say dragonflies pose no threat to humans.