The sudden arrival of a massive swarm of dragonflies caused chaos on a Rhode Island beach.

According to Storyful, thousands of dragonflies descended on Misquamicut State Beach in Westerly, R.I., on July 27. Footage of the event, taken by beachgoer Jennifer Serenson, shows a widespread swarm of dragonflies flying over the beach, skimming over towels, umbrellas, and people.

In the video, the vast dragonfly swarm hovers and zooms above the sand, causing some beachgoers to scream and seek cover.

Someone off-camera calls the scene “apocalyptic.”

“Dude, look at them all!’ another voice exclaims as the dragonflies continue to fly by in the hundreds.

WBZ-TV reported that the dragonflies started arriving at Misquamicut State Beach around 11 a.m. local time, with the most impressive swarm appearing at 1 p.m.

The outlet spoke to Ginger Brown, a Rhode Island-based dragonfly expert, who said that dragonflies tend to migrate between mid-August and mid-September. She added that dragonflies sometimes travel in large groups outside their migration period to relocate after their home bog dries up.

“It is entirely possible that’s what we’re seeing now,” Brown told WBZ-TV. “They can travel long distances with relative ease.”

Brown advised that anyone who finds themselves in a dragonfly swarm should “enjoy the phenomenon.”

According to WCVB, the Common Green Darner dragonfly, which can be found in Rhode Island, reproduces during July and August.

July also saw a different creepy crawly invasion. Periods of heavy rain in Houston drew out a rash of invasive and toxic hammerhead flatworms. The flatworms are harmful to humans and pets and are, unfortunately, difficult to eradicate because they multiply when cut in half.

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The Texas Invasive Species Institute encouraged Houston residents to get rid of the flatworms, which prey on earthworms and slugs, with orange essence and salt, sprayed vinegar, or a combination of vinegar and citrus oil.

“Placing them in a Ziploc bag with salt or vinegar ensures the flatworm does not crawl away after treatment; then dispose of the sealed bag,” the institute added, noting all flatworm handling should be done with gloved hands. “Continuous removal of these invasive flatworms is necessary for the protection of naturalized earthworm populations.”

PAWTUCKET — Olivia Williams will bid for a third consecutive title and three fellow finalists will be in search of their first entering the last day of the 105th Rhode Island Junior Amateur. 

Lily Dessel, Jesse Hellring and Brayden Dickinson all hope to join the party at Pawtucket Country Club. Thursday’s semifinals saw the top two seeds advance for the girls and the upsets continue for the boys. 

More: More drama at the Rhode Island Junior Amateur quarterfinal match play. Here’s what happened.

Williams rallied past Adriana Eaton, 3 and 2, while Dessel won the first two holes on each side to beat Claire McTaggart, 2 up. Hellring won the 16th and 17th holes to top Rocco Capalbo, 3 and 1, while Dickinson survived the final two holes to outlast Ian Dunham, 1 up. 

Eaton won the first two holes and three of the first six to hold a 2-up lead before Williams kicked into gear. She made par to take the seventh and birdie to capture the ninth, pulling level at the turn. Williams won four of five holes between the 12th and 16th to close it out, bracketing that stretch with two more birdies. 

“I started to come back toward the end of the front nine and I went up on the beginning of the back nine,” Williams said to the Rhode Island Golf Association. “I was just trying to stay focused, play my game and take one shot at a time.” 

Williams could see Eaton again next week at the Women’s Amateur. They’ve played for the state’s biggest prizes in recent years, including a meeting in last year’s final and a matchup in the Junior Amateur semifinals. Both are Interscholastic League stars at La Salle Academy and Moses Brown, respectively. 

“She’s very good,” Williams said. “It was a tough match today. We definitely have a lot of fun when we play together.” 

Dessel reached the quarterfinals in her 2021 debut at this event and has improved her game steadily since then. She never trailed against McTaggart but couldn’t build more than a 2-up lead against her Barrington High teammate and fellow Rhode Island Country Club member. Dessel won the 18th with a routine par to book a spot in her first final. 

“It took me a while today to figure out the speed of the greens,” Dessel said. “It was definitely faster than the past couple of days. Once I got that going, I was kind of steady for the rest of the match.” 

Hellring’s bogey was good enough to win the par-4 11th, and he carried a 1-up lead to the 16th after halving six of the previous seven. Two straight pars were enough to slip past Capalbo, the reigning Interscholastic League champion who’s fresh off a strong debut at Prout. Hellring avoided the 18th hole for second time in three matches, playing it only during a 1-up win over Joey Iaciofano in the Round of 16. 

“Winning this would be great,” Hellring said. “What you get as well — going to the U.S. Junior [Amateur] would be awesome.” 

Dickinson was one of the last players to reach match play as the No. 15 seed and has made the most of his chance. He lost the 16th hole with a bogey to trail late, but that’s a minor inconvenience at this point for the North Kingstown standout. Dickinson was sidelined for the end of spring and beginning of summer after suffering an ankle injury in physical education class at school — he’s just now rounding back into form. 

“It really put into perspective how much this game means to me, how much I really just love coming out here and competing with the guys and putting together a good score,” Dickinson said. “It was a tough couple months.” 

Hellring and Dickinson will open their finals match at 7:30 a.m. Williams and Dessel will have the tee eight minutes later. Two other matches also will go off in the boys first division and boys 14U — Connor Ahlborg and Conner Rabbitt in the first, Aidan Connell and Raj Mammen in the second. 

Boys championship 

Jesse Hellring def. Rocco Capalbo, 3 and 1; Brayden Dickinson def. Ian Dunham, 1 up. 

Girls championship 

Olivia Williams def. Adriana Eaton, 3 and 2; Lily Dessel def. Claire McTaggart, 2 up. 

Boys first division 

Connor Ahlborg def. Luke Cavanaugh, 3 and 1; Conner Rabbitt def. Zachary Taraian, 2 and 1. 

Boys 14U 

Aidan Connell def. Mitch McTaggart, 3 and 2; Raj Mammen def. Nico Capalbo, 4 and 3. 

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25 

The seaglider company has created more than 135 jobs and reinvested $22 million into the state.

REGENT team

North Kingstown, RI, Aug. 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —

media@regentcraft.com

• REGENT has achieved key milestones, including proving seaglider technology, advancing certification, and expanding its global order book.

• Learn more about why REGENT chose Rhode Island as its headquarters here, and explore open career listings here.

REGENT Craft, the manufacturer of all-electric seagliders for sustainable maritime mobility, celebrates two years since it moved its headquarters to the state.

Founded outside of Boston in late 2020, REGENT moved to the Ocean State in August 2022. Rhode Island offers three key factors that make it ideal for seaglider development and manufacturing: ideal test environments, strong naval architecture and composites expertise, and access to top talent from across New England.

“We’re proud that seagliders are made in America, and in the two years that REGENT has been in Rhode Island, we’ve made significant progress in achieving our mission of revolutionizing coastal transportation,” said Billy Thalheimer, Co-founder and CEO, REGENT. “REGENT is poised to make Rhode Island the national hub for seaglider manufacturing and a global center for the Blue Economy.”

Company milestones 

Since arriving in Rhode Island, REGENT has achieved key milestones in its journey to revolutionize regional costal transportation around the world.

• Proved seaglider technology: REGENT successfully tested its quarter-scale prototype, proving the viability of the technology behind the seagliders three operating modes, float, foil, and fly.

• Expanded its facilities: The company expanded from 10,000sqft to 30,000sqft and was responsible for the 13,000th employee hired in Quonset Business Park, where REGENT is based.

• Completed record Series A: REGENT secured a  $60 million Series A in October 2023, the largest venture capital raise for a startup in Rhode Island history.

• Advanced seaglider certification: Building on existing international guidance, REGENT has progressed seaglider certification in the U.S. and in markets around the world to ensure the highest levels of safety.

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Impact on Rhode Island 

In two years, REGENT has driven more than $22 million in economic benefits to Rhode Island through investment in employees, local suppliers, facility developments, and general contractors, and created more than 135 jobs, including contract positions and internships.

REGENT plans to break ground on a test facility and manufacturing center with up to 600,000 additional square feet this fall and create hundreds of additional jobs in the next few years.

REGENT has also supported STEM development through partnerships with local programs and universities, including Skills for Rhode Island’s Future, the University of Rhode Island, the International Yacht School, and New England Tech.

About REGENT 

REGENT is pioneering the future of sustainable maritime mobility through the development and manufacturing of all-electric seagliders. Seagliders are a new category of vehicle that combine the speed of an aircraft with the convenience of a boat to deliver an affordable and efficient transportation solution between coastal destinations. REGENT’s flagship seaglider, Viceroy, is a 12-passenger vehicle that travels at 180mph to service routes up to 180 miles on a single charge.

REGENT has secured more than 600 seaglider orders valued at more than $9 billion from leading airline and ferry operators around the world and has raised more than $90 million from investors including 8090 Industries, Founders Fund, Japan Airlines, and Lockheed Martin.

Notes for editors  

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CONTACT: Kirsten Salyer REGENT 401-328-0532 kirsten.salyer@regentcraft.com