Dragonflies are some of the most skilled fliers in the insect world, able to hover, fly backward and catch prey in midair. Their huge compound eyes give them nearly all-around vision. Yet they spend most of their lives underwater as fierce larvae, called nymphs, before climbing up a plant stem and emerging as winged adults.
Follow every stage in our dragonfly life cycle guide, learn about dragonfly larvae, and find out whether dragonflies bite. Profiles cover the green darner, eastern pondhawk and their slender relative the damselfly, and there is also a free dragonfly coloring page for kids.
Start here: Dragonfly Life Cycle · What Do Dragonflies Eat? · How Long Do Dragonflies Live? · Blue Dragonfly · Dragonfly – One Of Nature’s Most Intriguing And Fascinating Insects · Red Dragonfly
Quick answer: Dragonflies eat other insects, especially mosquitoes, flies, midges, and gnats, which they catch in flight. Dragonfly nymphs live in water and eat mosquito larvae, tadpoles, and small fish. We watch dragonflies flying around the pond and they are beautiful. But what DO dragonflies eat? A dragonfly is an agile predator. Adult dragonflies and dragonfly…
Quick answer: Adult dragonflies usually live only a few weeks to a few months, depending on the species. However, they spend much longer as aquatic nymphs, which can last from a few months to several years before they become flying adults. The dragonfly is an insect that has inhabited the earth for a very long…
Quick answer: Dragonflies rarely bite people. They can give a small nip if grabbed or handled, but their jaws are too weak to break human skin much and they are not venomous. They are harmless to people and help control mosquitoes. Scientific Classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Odonata Suborder: Anisoptera Quick Facts…
One of Nature’s most intriguing and fascinating insects, and the subject of mankind’s most sublime and ridiculous myths and mythologies, the dragonfly darts around going about its business as usual, blissfully unaware and oblivious to the interest it has generated in us. And perhaps thankfully for us because if the dragonfly were to understand that…