About Dragonflies & Damselflies
Dragonflies and damselflies belong to the order Odonata. Their immature stages are aquatic predators, while adults hunt flying insects around wetlands, streams, lakes, forests, and fields.
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Aquatic Nymphs
Young odonates live underwater.
Learn MoreFlight
Dragonflies can control their four wings with remarkable precision.
Learn MoreCompound Eyes
Dragonflies have extremely large compound eyes.
Learn MoreDamselflies
Damselflies are generally slimmer and often fold their wings along the body at rest.
Learn MoreWetland Connection
Odonates depend on water for reproduction.
Learn MorePredators
Adults catch mosquitoes, flies, midges, and other insects.
Learn MoreAncient Relatives
Dragonfly-like insects existed hundreds of millions of years ago.
Learn MoreEnvironmental Indicators
Odonate communities can provide clues about aquatic habitat quality.
Learn MoreAquatic Nymphs
They prey on aquatic insects and other small animals before climbing out of the water for their final molt.
Flight
They can accelerate quickly, hover, turn sharply, and capture prey in flight.
Compound Eyes
Their broad field of view helps them track fast-moving prey.
Damselflies
Dragonflies usually hold their wings more openly, though anatomy provides more reliable identification.
Wetland Connection
Ponds, marshes, lakes, streams, and rivers provide nursery habitat.
Predators
They are predators rather than blood-feeding insects.
Ancient Relatives
Some prehistoric relatives had wingspans far larger than modern species.
Environmental Indicators
Water pollution, drainage, vegetation change, and climate can alter which species are present.