Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
WESTERLY, Rhode Island — They went to the beach for fun, but little did they know what would befall them.
"I thought it was the end of the world," one man told the Providence-based television station WJAR after the fact.
If that sounds overly dramatic, it is. However, a bevy of beachgoers at Misquamicit Beach on the Atlantic Ocean in Westerly, Rhode Island, got an unexpected surprise on July 27 when an overwhelmingly large swarm of dragonflies suddenly invaded the beach. News outlets around New England picked up on it, airing homemade video clips of the long, flying bugs with beachgoers in the background alternatively laughing and screaming at the thick swarm.
"Everything was just pitch black. Everything got gray. Seagulls are chasing dragonflies trying to get through to get to the sea. They couldn't even get through. It was just insane. I never seen nothing like it," the man told WJAR.
The video was reminiscent of the 1963 Alfred Hitchcock movie, "The Birds," about a sudden attack by birds on the unsuspecting people of a California town. The bugs, though — while perhaps sparking alarm — didn't cause any lasting damage, and the onslaught lasted a mere matter of minutes.
"We all just had our cameras out and were, like, 'What the heck is happening?'" another woman told WJAR. An expert told the station the bugs are blue dashers and were likely looking for another source of fresh water.
Commenters defended the insects, with one posting, "Dragonflies are one of the top predators of mosquitos. They deserve eternal respect. Plus, they don't buzz annoyingly, they just flutter."
If you're wanting a dose of danger brought on by interactions with nature, a man happened upon a mass of alligators last month in the Okefonokee Swamp in south Georgia. The video, posted by Accuweather, shows him boating through the critters in the water beneath him, commenting on the situation.
"Look at all the gators ... There's gators everywhere."
Now, that's something that would raise alarm.
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