Dragonfly Life Cycle

A dragonfly has a life span of more than a year, but very little of that life is actually as an adult dragonfly. There are three stages of the dragonfly life cycle, the egg, the nymph, and the adult dragonfly. Most of the dragonfly life cycle is lived out in the nymph stage and you don’t see them at all unless you are swimming underwater in a lake or pond with your eyes opened, of course.

Teachers and students: you’re welcome to use this diagram in lessons and projects with credit to Learn About Nature.

Print a Dragonfly Life Cycle Coloring Page

The Egg Stage

A male and a female dragonfly will mate while they are flying in the air. After two dragonflies mate, the female dragonfly will lay her eggs on a plant in the water, or if she can’t find a suitable plant she will just drop them into the water. 

The Nymph Stage

Once the dragonfly eggs hatch, the life cycle of a dragonfly larva begins as a nymph. A nymph looks like a little alien creature. It hasn’t grown its wings yet and has what looks like a crusty hump hanging onto its back. Dragonfly nymphs live in the water while they grow and develop into dragonflies. This portion of the dragonfly life cycle can take up to four years to complete, and if the nymph cycle is completed in the beginning of the wintertime, it will remain in the water until spring when it is warm enough to come out.

Dragonfly nymphs live in ponds or marshy areas because the waters are calmer than in a stream or river. Sometimes they can be found in the calmer backwaters of rivers, too. Dragonfly nymphs may eat smaller dragonfly nymphs as they develop.

The Adult Dragonfly Stage

Once the nymph is fully grown, and the weather is right, it will complete the metamorphosis into a dragonfly by crawling out of the water up the stem of a plant. The nymph will shed its skin onto the stem of the plant and will then be a young dragonfly. The skin that the nymph left behind is called the exuvia and you can find the exuvia still stuck to the stem for a long time after the dragonfly has left it.

Once the dragonfly leaves the exuvia it is a full grown dragonfly. The dragonfly will hunt for food and begin to look for a mate. Once the dragonfly finds a mate, the female will find a body of calm water that will be a good place to lay her eggs, and the life cycle of the dragonfly begins all over again. Adult dragonflies only live about two months.

You can also find out about the butterfly life cycle, frog life cycle and ladybug life cycle and more information across Learn About Nature.

Dragonfly Life Cycle and Biology Links

Dragonfly – Order Odonata Brief article by Judi Manning, summarizing their history, life cycle, and biology. Dragonfly Nymphs Drawings and a brief description.

Dragonfly Nymph Stages (Instars)

A dragonfly nymph does not grow smoothly. It grows in steps called instars. Each time its hard outer skin gets too tight, the nymph molts and grows a little bigger. Most dragonflies go through about 9 to 17 instars, depending on the species and how much food is available.

• Early instars: The tiny nymph eats very small water animals and has no visible wing buds.
• Middle instars: Wing pads appear on its back and grow larger with each molt.
• Final instar: Wing pads are big and swollen, the eyes enlarge, and the nymph stops eating. It begins breathing air at the surface before it crawls out.

Nymphs breathe with gills hidden inside the end of their abdomen. By squirting water out of this chamber, they can shoot forward like a tiny jet. They catch prey with a special folding lower lip that snaps out in a fraction of a second.

How Long Does a Dragonfly Live?

A dragonfly’s total life span usually ranges from about 6 months to over 5 years, but nearly all of it is spent underwater as a nymph.

Stage	Typical length
Egg	1 week to several months
Nymph	Several months to 5 years
Adult	A few weeks to about 2 months

Small species in warm places may finish the whole cycle in less than a year. Large species in cold water can stay nymphs for many years. Most adults live only a few weeks because of predators, weather and the hard work of flying and mating. Some migrating species, like the common green darner, travel long distances during their short adult lives.

Dragonfly Life Cycle for Kids

1. Egg: A female lays eggs in or near water.
2. Nymph: Nymphs live underwater for months or years, hunting other animals.
3. Adult: The nymph climbs a stem, molts and the winged adult flies away.

Key words: nymph – a young insect that looks like a small adult; molt – shedding an old outer skin to grow bigger; habitat – the natural home of a living thing.

Try this activity: Go pond dipping with a net and tray, with an adult helping. Look for dragonfly nymphs and other creatures, then return them gently. Wash hands afterward.

What Are the Stages of a Dragonfly’s Life Cycle?

A dragonfly has three life stages: egg, nymph and adult. Eggs laid in or near water hatch into nymphs that live underwater for several months to 5 years, molting many times. The nymph then climbs out, sheds its skin and becomes a winged adult that usually lives only a few weeks.

Free printable: Download the Dragonfly life cycle worksheet (PDF) – put the stages in order, match key words, draw and explain. Answer key included.

Dragonfly Life Cycle FAQs