![]() ![]() Simply sit near, walk close to, or boat along the edge of a lake, pond, river, or small stream to be rewarded with a beautiful sight! Bring along some binoculars to help get a close-up view of these interesting and colorful insects. They come in nearly as many color patterns. Over 160 types of dragonflies and damselflies live in Massachusetts. Similar to birds, male dragonflies and damselflies are often more colorful than females-a trait evolved to help attract a mate. Dragonflies have much larger, heavier bodies, and hold their two sets of wings splayed out to the sides, as you can see on the right in the above image. Damselflies (on the left in the above image) have a more slender abdomen (tail) and hold their wings together behind their back. Telling the difference between a damselfly and a dragonfly is fairly simple. Damselflies are equally efficient hunters though, and are among the greatest predators of annoying mosquitoes. Smaller damselflies emerge in the same manner as their larger cousins, but are more delicate flyers as adults. Dragonflies prey upon other large insects including damselflies and even other dragonflies. ![]() This is a skill that is nearly unique to dragonflies and damselflies and makes capturing prey rather easy. They can move in virtually any direction. In the air, dragonflies are the most skillful of insect flyers. The entire process occurs within hours from the time they crawled out of the water. The emerged dragonfly or damselfly rests in place, pumps blood into its wings to help them harden and spread, and finally takes to the sky. What do Dragonflies and Damselflies need Dragonflies. Instead, adult dragonflies and damselflies hatch out of their own juvenile skins by cracking joints along the back of their exoskeleton and pushing themselves, back first, out of their nymphal form. Dragonfly larvae will often live in the silt at the bottom of ponds before they emerge as dragonflies. This metamorphosis does not occur within a cocoon, nor does it take days like with butterflies. When young dragonflies and damselflies are ready to emerge from natal waterbodies, they crawl out of the water and transform into adults. As they grow, nymphs undergo a series of moltings, shedding their insect skeletons for a slightly larger one each time. Nymphs of our largest dragonfly-the common green darner-can be as long as 3 inches before transitioning to an adult! For the past 10–36 months, wingless dragonfly and damselfly larvae (or nymphs) have been living underwater in rivers, lakes, and ponds. These juveniles swim and stalk through the submerged muddy terrain in search of other aquatic insects, tadpoles, and even small fish to prey upon. These majestic flyers don’t always look like their adult forms. Perhaps none are as extraordinary as dragonflies and damselflies. The female lays her eggs near or in the water.As spring moves towards summer and temperatures start to rise, native insects begin to take flight. They feed on insect larvae and other smaller water dwellers up to the. They will then find a perch to land on and the male and female mate. All dragonflies are carnivorous in both the larval and adult stages of their lives. When dragonflies breed, the male will attach the back of his abdomen to the female's head and in this position they fly together. When they have enough oxygen they push the water out very fast and this helps them move through the water. Larvae breathe by sucking water into their abdomen and moving it over their internal gills. Larvae eat insects in the water, worms, and occasionally tadpoles and small fish.įish, turtles, frogs, ducks, herons and larger insects all like to eat dragonflies.Īdult dragonflies breathe by drawing air into special breathing tubes in their bodies. ![]() The larvae live in streams, lakes and ponds among plants and rocks.Īdult dragonflies eat mainly flying insects. They also have very large eyes.Īdult dragonflies live near streams, lakes and ponds. They have three stages in their life cycle: egg - larva - adult.Īdult dragonflies have a long and slender abdomen, two pairs of wings and three pairs of legs. They also have very large eyes.ĭragonflies are insects. Adult dragonflies have a long and slender abdomen, two pairs of wings and three pairs of legs. They have three stages in their life cycle: egg - larva - adult. ![]()
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