Odonata - Dragonflies and Damselflies

Of all the aquatic insects the dragonflies and damselflies are surely the best known. A few are instantly recognisable, but there are more than forty species in the British Isles and some of them are now very rare. Their irridescent bodies and aerobatic skills make for a fascinating spectacle on bright summer days.

This SORTABLE TABLE has links to larger pictures and information about each species. A Picture Gallery version of this page is also available...

Pictures link to Details pages
Aeschna juncea - Common Hawker Dragonfly Common Hawker Aeshna juncea Aeshnidae
Emperor Dragonfly Emperor Dragonfly Anax imperator Aeshnidae
Hairy Dragonfly Hairy Dragonfly Brachytron pratense Aeshnidae
Cordulegaster boltonii - Golden-ringed Dragonfly Golden-ringed Dragonfly Cordulegaster boltonii Cordulegastridae
Cordulia aenea, Downy Emerald Dragonfly Downy Emerald Cordulia aenea Corduliidae
Libellula depressa - Broad-bodied Chaser dragonfly Broad-bodied Chaser Libellula depressa Libellulidae
Libellula quadrimaculata, Four-spotted Chaser dragonfly Four-spotted Chaser Libellula quadripunctata Libellulidae
Black-tailed Skimmer Orthetrum cancellatum Black-tailed Skimmer Orthetrum cancellatum Libellulidae
Keeled Skimmer Orthetrum coerulescens Keeled Skimmer Orthetrum coerulescens Libellulidae
Black Darter dragonfly Black Darter Sympetrum danae Libellulidae
Red-veined Darter dragonfly Red-veined Darter Sympetrum fonscolombii Libellulidae
Ruddy Darter dragonfly Ruddy Darter Sympetrum sanguineum Libellulidae
Common red darter dragonfly Common Red Darter Sympetrum striolatum Libellulidae
Banded Demoiselle, Calopteryx splendens Banded Demoiselle Calopteryx splendens Calopterygidae
Beautiful Demoiselle, Calopteryx virgo Beautiful Demoiselle Calopteryx virgo Calopterygidae
Small Red Damselfly Small Red Damselfly Ceriagrion tenellum Coenagrionidae
Willow Emerald Damselfly Willow Emerald Damselfly Chalcolestes viridis Coenagrionidae
Southern Damselfly Southern Damselfly Coenagrion mercuriale Coenagrionidae
Azure Damselfly Azure Damselfly Coenagrion puella Coenagrionidae
Common blue damselfly Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum Coenagrionidae
Ischnura elegans, Blue-tailed Damselfly Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans Coenagrionidae
Lestes dryas, Scarce Emerald Damselfly Scarce Emerald Damselfly Lestes dryas Lestidae
Lestes sponsa, Emerald Damselfly Emerald Damselfly Lestes sponsa Lestidae
Large red damselfly Large Red Damselfly Pyrrhosoma nymphula Coenagrionidae

Life Cycle

Most damselflies have a one-year life cycle, while dragonflies are longer lived, some taking five years to reach maturity. The eggs, once hatched, become nymphs (also known as naiads), which live among submerged weeds.

damselnymph

In shallow lakes, the nymphs of damselflies are an important source of food for trout and other fish. Dragonfly nymphs, in contrast, are fierce predators and will attack and kill other aquatic creatures sometimes larger than themselves - we have seen them attack and kill a small newt.

When ready to emerge as adults, the nymphs crawl up weed stems and rest in the sunshine above water level until their outer shucks split to allow the winged adults to emerge. At this stage they are rather dull looking with pallid colouring.

The newly-emerged adults are vulnerable, because they cannot fly until their wings have dried and hardened. They remain very still - for an hour or more in very wet weather; then they take to the air, begin hunting for food (smaller insects) and become increasingly more colourful.

Newly-emerged dragonfly with its discarded exuvia

A recently-emerged Aeshnid dragonfly is shown here. The exuvia (the shuck or final nymphal skin from which it emerged) is also visible. Examining marginal plants and looking closely at any exuvia left clinging to stems is a good way of finding out which kinds of dragonflies live in a pond.

Creating a garden pond is a great way of attracting dragonflies and damselflies into your garden. Several species now breed in the small pond we built in our own garden in West Wales. See our illustrated guide to Making a Garden Pond...


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