Adult Dragonfly
Scientific Name:
Class: Insecta
Order: Odonata
Suborder: Anisoptera
The Same, Yet Different
One day,
A catfish and a dragonfly
Had a conversation
About when they were young.
“It is my understanding,”
Said the catfish,
“That when I was my youngest,
“I was an egg!”
“Why, me, too,”
Replied the dragonfly, tilting his head,
“Who knew,
“We had so much in common?”
“Then,” the catfish said dramatically,
“I became a fingerling,
“Swimming in the river
“Eating the tiniest insects.”
“My, my,” said the dragonfly,
“I became a nymph, and I too,
“Swam in the river
“Seeking tiny bits of life to eat.”
“I grew bigger and swam further.”
“I grew wings and leapt into the sky.”
“I can leap into the sky,” said the fish,
“For a moment, anyway,
“But must always return
“To the river.”
“Oh, I can never swim in water again,
“The air is my world,
“And plants to rest on.”
“It is only the river, for me,
“But maybe, one day, I’ll go to the sea,
“Which is water, too.”
Both went quiet,
Then the fish exclaimed,
“Funny how we started the same way,
“And grew to be so different.”
“Hmmm, yes,” said the dragonfly,
A bit distractedly,
For he had just noticed
A swarm of mosquitoes coming near,
“It was nice talking with you.”
And he flew off.
“Bye” said the catfish, faintly,
A bit distracted herself,
For she had noticed a school
Of small fry clouding the water
Below her,
She was ready for a snack
And dived.
©2024 Carl Scott Harker, Author of
The HedgeHog
Dating back 300 million years, dragonflies are one of the first winged insects ever found. Fossils of these ancient aquatic insects show wingspans of up to 24 inches compared with the 2- to 5-inch spans of contemporary dragonflies. Scientists have discovered more than 5,000 species of dragonflies worldwide, including 450 in North America alone.
Dragonflies belong to the insect order called Odonata, which also includes damselflies. Odonata is a Greek word meaning toothed one. It refers to the serrated teeth located on the insect’s chewing mouth parts (mandibles). Myths about dragonflies warned children to keep quiet or else the dragonfly’s "darning needles" would sew the child’s mouth shut.
What does a dragonfly look like?
Dragonflies belonging to the family Libellulidae (common skimmer) or Aeschnidae (darners) have four independent, alternately moving wings that enable them to fly at speeds up to 60 miles per hour, hover, fly backward, stop on a dime, zip 20 feet straight up, and slip sideways in the blink of an eye! This ability, plus a long slender body and large compound eyes, make them true aerial masters of the insect world. Their flight advantage enables dragonflies to generate large amounts of body heat. Thus, they burn 50 times as much energy in flight as the amount they use at rest. A dragonfly’s freely movable head has large, hemispherical eyes (nearly 30,000 facets each), which the insects use to locate prey with their excellent vision.
Dragonfly on a Lotus Flower Bud on green background by Bahman Farzad
Fierce Hunter of Insects
The two pairs of wings are flat or horizontal at rest; some species can attain lengths of over 4 inches. The coloration of adult dragonflies ranges from brown to black and green.
Dragonfly Nymph
Nymphs – vary in shape, but most have robust, elongated, or "spider-like" bodies, often with algae growing on their backs; six legs at side of body or near front on elongated species. Dragonfly nymphs live in the water for several years. They are voracious predators which feed upon other aquatic macro-invertebrates such as mosquito larvae, small fish, and tadpoles.
After shedding its skin about 12 times, depending on the species, the nymph (naiad), fully grown, crawls out of the water, usually in the early morning to rest on plant stems or rock. Its skin splits along a midline of the thorax, and the adult dragonfly emerges.
How do dragonflies live?
During their 2-week to 2-month lifespan, adult dragonflies terrorize the skies, snatching and eating midges, mosquitoes, moths, bees , butterflies, or even other dragonflies on the fly. You may see adult dragonflies flying or resting on a plant in tandem as they mate. They aggressively defend their territories from a perch or by patrolling in patterns at various heights.
Dragonflies are highly beneficial predators that destroy large numbers of mosquitoes. Their success as insects results, in part, from the large number of eggs they lay. Depending on the species, dragonflies lay hundreds of eggs by dropping them into the water and leaving them to hatch or by inserting eggs singly into a slit in the stem of a submerged plant.
The incomplete metamorphosis (egg, youth nymph, mature nymph, adult) can take 2-3 years.
Where do dragonflies live?
Dragonflies are usually found in slower moving streams and in ponds.