SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WPRI) — Videos of dragonflies swarming local beaches went viral on social media over the weekend, but that behavior isn't unheard of for these insects, according to experts.

Madeline Ferrante from Connecticut was on vacation with her family when she witnessed the flight of dragonflies at Greenhill Beach in South Kingstown.

"It was freaky," Ferrante recalled. "It was the weirdest thing I've ever seen, honestly."

The swarm was so intense that Ferrante and her family considered leaving the beach.

"I was laying down, and I didn't want to get up at all because I'd get smacked with a face full of dragonfly," she said.

WATCH: Beachgoers witness a swarm of dragonflies (Story continues below.)

Entomologists with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) say it is impossible to know where the insects were coming from, but the dragonflies were likely dispersing in search of a suitable habitat or in response to high population densities.

Ginger Brown, a wildlife biologist with the DEM who has been working with dragonflies and damselflies for decades, thinks they may have been in search of a new wetland to call home.

"Somewhere in the region — and it could be quite a distance from us — aquatic habitats are drying up, and so dragonflies have to find another place to reproduce," Brown explained.

David Gregg, the director of the Rhode Island National History Survey, believes the dragonflies were searching for a new place to go after being crowded out.

"I think they reached a threshold where they’re getting a little crowded and that makes them uncomfortable, and so they’ve upped sticks and they’re on the move," Gregg said.

While it may have looked like the insects came out of nowhere, Brown said the dragonflies may have flown down from a high elevation since they can travel great distances by taking advantage of wind currents.

"They may be up there moving all along and then suddenly come down, and that could explain why they might suddenly appear on a beach," Brown said.

Dragonflies also likely appeared on the beaches because the insects use visual cues like the coastline for navigation.

Experts say humans have no need to fear the insects. Dragonflies are beneficial to people because they eat mosquitoes and other pests. According to Brown, there are 91 different species in Rhode Island.

Seasonal migratory dragonflies head south from mid-August until mid-September. Those dragonflies have been seen in large numbers along Rhode Island's beaches before.

Brown saw a flight of migratory dragonflies about 20 years ago in Little Compton.

"There were literally thousands of them moving along the beach," she said. "I'd been studying dragonflies for 25 years at that point. It took me that long to get to the right place at the right time."

Ferrante's beach day with the dragonflies may have been a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

"It definitely feels pretty special, I think," Ferrante said. "Looking back at it ... I wish I felt a little more grateful for what I was seeing right then."

"This is a story I'm going to have for a really long time, and I'm going to bring it up to a lot of random people," she added with a smile.