Dragonflies and damselflies are insects in the Order Odonata. They have two pairs of long, membranous wings with many veins in them. The forewings and hindwings are usually similar in size but in some species the hindwing is broader at the base than the forewing. The abdomen is long and thin. The eyes are compound and very large in relation to the size of the head. The antennae are short and hairlike. The mouthparts are for chewing, and these insects are predators. The life cycle consists of egg, nymph and adult.
Nymphs are aquatic. They eat insects and other small animals. Depending upon the species, their gills are either in the rectum or external at the tip of the abdomen.
Adults are accomplished fliers that may travel many miles from their aquatic habitat. They often fly paired, with the male holding the female by the head or thorax with appendages at the tip of his abdomen. Eggs are either laid on aquatic plants or washed from the female’s abdomen into the water. The adults feed on insects that they catch in flight.
