Dragonflies & Damselflies
Ancient aerial hunters that patrol ponds and streams, dragonflies and their slimmer damselfly cousins are among the most acrobatic insects alive. These guides cover how to tell them apart, their aquatic youth, and their flight. (6 guides.)
Dragonflies & DamselfliesRead article →What Do Damselflies Eat? Mosquitoes, Gnats, and MidgesWhat do damselflies eat? Both nymphs and adults are strict carnivores, but the menu changes completely between the two life stages. Underwater, nymphs ambush mosquito larvae, midge
Dragonflies & DamselfliesRead article →Where Do Dragonflies Live? Underwater First, Then AirborneWhere do dragonflies live? The honest answer is two places, depending on the life stage. Every dragonfly starts as an aquatic nymph in a pond, lake, river, or marsh, sometimes for
Dragonflies & DamselfliesRead article →What Is the Life Cycle of Dragonflies? Years UnderwaterWhat Is the Life Cycle of Dragonflies? It runs through three stages, egg, nymph, and adult, and most of that time is spent underwater rather than in the air. A dragonfly can spend
Dragonflies & DamselfliesRead article →What Are The Benefits of Dragonflies to Mosquito ControlWhat are the benefits of dragonflies beyond the flash of iridescent wings over a pond? The order Odonata does measurable work in a yard or wetland: nymphs and adults both hunt mosq
Dragonflies & DamselfliesRead article →What Is the Life Cycle of Damselflies? Egg to Adult in 4 StagesWhat Is the Life Cycle of Damselflies? It runs through four stages: egg, nymph, teneral (subadult), and adult. Damselflies belong to the suborder Zygoptera within the order Odonata
Dragonflies & DamselfliesRead article →What Do Dragonflies Eat? Mosquito Larvae to Airborne PreyWhat do dragonflies eat? The short answer is other insects, and lots of them, at every stage of life. As nymphs, they hunt underwater for up to four years before they ever grow win