Beachgoers in Rhode Island were caught up in a swarm of dragonflies on July 27. They later compared the experience to being present for an “apocalypse.”
Multiple videos of the event posted to social media show people who went to Misquamicut Beach for an afternoon of leisure suddenly thrust into chaos.
While some visitors appeared to enjoy the unexpected onslaught, taking photos and videos amid the swarm, others took cover under their towels. Screams of dismay could be heard from various directions.
In a video of the incident shared by The Associated Press, a voice exclaimed, “I’ve never seen anything like this in my life. This is insane,” as thousands of dragonflies flew ashore from the ocean.
The voice added, “People are panicking.”
Stephanie Martin, who was present during the swarm, described the experience to WCVB as a “black cloud.”
“I was enjoying a nice day at Misquamicut State Beach until we endured a dragonfly apocalypse,” Martin said.
“It kind of felt like an eternity,” she continued, “but I would say it probably lasted between two and four minutes and then once they were gone, they didn’t come back for the rest of the day.”
Experts have said that the event, though surprising, is part of the dragonflies’ annual migration and nothing to be scared of.
“Every year, between late July and mid-October, they migrate from over here all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico or the southeastern United States,” Nicole Bell, a pollinator specialist at UMass-Amherst’s Mount Ida Campus, told WCVB.
“They’re really not after humans at all and they actually eat some insects that we find very disrupting, including mosquitoes,” Bell said. “So it’s really best to just let them be. They cannot sting.”
Ginger Brown, a dragonfly expert in Rhode Island, told CBS News that dragonflies migrate when the swamps and bogs where they reside dry up. The migration period is an important part of the ecosystem, as dragonflies eat pests and serve as food for birds and other creatures.
Brown advised people caught up in a swarm not to be scared.
“Just enjoy the phenomenon,” Brown said. “They have excellent vision, they’re not going to fly into your face.”