Emily is a passionate nature writer who enjoys exploring the fascinating world of insects. She shares clear, easy-to-read guides to help people understand and appreciate these tiny creatures. Common Hawkers are swift and powerful in flight, often patrolling large areas of open water and occasionally venturing over land. Metallic Pennants often perch upright on plant tips and occasionally hover briefly before darting off after prey.
Instead, they glide gracefully over open spaces, especially in fields and clearings, often appearing to dance in the air. Banded Pennants are calm flyers and often glide above open water or perch on exposed stems. The Halloween Pennant (Celithemis eponina) is a beautiful dragonfly that looks like a small, colorful flag fluttering in the wind. They are strong flyers and rarely perch, often seen gliding effortlessly over open fields and roads.
Widespread globally, they are primarily found near rivers and streams, as well as occasionally around lakes and near water-filled ditches. They measure between 1.2 to 1.6 inches, which puts them in the medium-sized bracket of dragonfly species. Growing up to three inches long, darners contain some of the biggest dragonflies in North America.
Flight
- They are known for their relaxed, gliding flight and often perch prominently on stems or reeds.
- Many dragonflies have brilliant iridescent or metallic colours produced by structural coloration, making them conspicuous in flight.
- Dragonflies are among the most fascinating insects in the natural world.
- Known for their vibrant colors, swift flight, and impressive hunting skills, they have captured human curiosity for centuries.
Adult dragonflies are characterized by long bodies with two narrow pairs of intricately veined, membranous wings that, while generally transparent, may have colored markings. Unlike damselflies, the front and rear wing pairs are shaped differently. In addition, dragonflies rest with their wings spread horizontally, rather than held vertically against each other (with the exception of one very small family, Epiophlebiidae). Dragonflies have a more powerful build and are generally much stronger fliers than damselflies. Dragonflies also have huge bulging eyes that occupy most of the head, giving some a field of vision approaching 360 degrees. Dragonflies are among the most fascinating insects in the natural world.
Black Saddlebags are strong dragonfly doji fliers, often seen soaring effortlessly in groups, especially during late summer migrations.
Brown Hawker
They prefer still or slow-moving waters such as lakes, ponds, canals, and ditches, often with plenty of floating vegetation. Eastern Pondhawks are fierce predators, catching insects both in the air and on vegetation. They favor ponds, lakes, marshes, and quiet backwaters with lots of aquatic plants.
American Emeralds dart and hover in the air when they finally emerge as adult dragonflies. These late-season fliers remain active even as the seasons shift and cooler temperatures set in. Exploring the various types of dragonflies can offer insights beyond their physical appearance. These insects play a significant role in our ecosystems and possess unique features. They patrol long stretches of streams, often flying close to the water’s surface. Southern Hawkers prefer woodland ponds, shaded lakes, and garden ponds.
- Four-spotted Chasers are often territorial and will chase away intruding dragonflies from their perches.
- Males have a blue hue on their abdomens that contrasts with their green bodies, while females have a more subtle green coloration.
- The Common Whitetail (Plathemis lydia) is a robust and very common dragonfly across much of North America, known for its short, thick body and distinctive markings.
- Orange Shadowdragons have a distinctive orange-brown color, where their name originated.
Common Green Darner
Its appearance is striking, with green eyes, a metallic green body, and yellow stripes on its thorax and abdomen. They are relatively large dragonflies, with a body length of up to 2.5 inches and a wingspan of up to 3.5 inches. In 2009, the first comprehensive assessment of insect species showed that 10 percent of dragonfly species were under threat of extinction. The animals are imperiled by destruction of freshwater habitats—particularly ponds, bogs, and fens—by pollution, and non-native vegetation.
Types of Dragonflies: Species, Facts and Photos
Dragonfly, (suborder Anisoptera), any of a group of roughly 3,000 species of aerial predatory insects most commonly found near freshwater habitats throughout most of the world. Damselflies (suborder Zygoptera) are sometimes also called dragonflies in that both are odonates (order Odonata). Extremely strong and agile fliers, dragonflies are among the fastest insects known and are voracious predators of flying insects such as mosquitoes and flies. The winged adults are diversely colored in a variety of shades ranging from metallic to pastel.
Young dragonflies, called larvae or sometimes nymphs or naiads, are aquatic and are as dedicated predators under water as the adults are in the air. The functionally wingless larvae are usually mottled or dull in color, matching the sediments or water plants among which they live. They have bulging eyes somewhat similar to the adults, but possess a formidable anatomical structure not present in the adult. Called the “mask,” it is a fusion of the larva’s third pair of mouthparts.
Emperor Dragonflies are found around lakes, large ponds, and slow rivers, often hunting over open water. They frequently perch on rocks, sticks, or bare ground, darting out quickly to catch flying insects. The Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) is a robust dragonfly widely distributed across the eastern United States, easily recognized by its green and blue coloration.
Dragonflies belong to the suborder2 Anisoptera within the larger order Odonata. Recent numbers say there are 2,967 recorded species of dragonflies existing worldwide. In the same order, there are damselflies under the suborder Zygoptera comprising 3,332 species. AllInsects shares simple, trustworthy guides to identify, understand, and appreciate insects—from backyard species to global favorites. They tend to perch on low branches or grass tips and defend their territory aggressively against intruders, often flying short distances to chase off others.
The slaty skimmer dragonfly Libellula incesta (pictured, an adult female) is native to eastern North America. Orange Shadowdragons have a distinctive orange-brown color, where their name originated. Females have a less vibrant shade than males and a unique protruded lower lip that males don’t. They prefer to stay low on the ground or vegetation instead of flying above the water to avoid detection. They prefer slow-moving or stagnant waters with rich vegetation; they occupy various regions across the Americas. Unlike other dragonflies, the Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly has unique flying abilities, hovering in the air and darting in a straight line.
The Common Green Darner (Anax junius) is one of the largest and most easily recognized dragonflies in North America. With its bright green thorax and powerful flying ability, it is often seen near ponds, lakes, and wetlands throughout the warmer seasons. When they land, the female curls her abdomen under to meet his secondary genitalia, forming a “mating wheel” that can resemble the shape of a heart. (Sometimes they will mate in the air.) Mating takes just a few seconds, after which the female can immediately lay her eggs.
Yellow-winged Darter
Their shape, metabolism, and respiration differ concordantly with the microhabitat they occupy. Dragonflies are predatory insects, both in their aquatic nymphal stage (also known as “naiads”) and as adults. They have a uniquely complex mode of reproduction involving indirect insemination, delayed fertilisation, and sperm competition. Around midsummer, females hover over bodies of fresh water and dip in their abdomens, laying eggs that hatch in about seven to eight days.
Eastern Pondhawks exhibit sexual dimorphism and have an average length of 1.5 to 2 inches. Males have bright blue bodies, while females and juveniles are green. Water can be forcibly expelled in this way, resulting in jet propulsion as a means of escape. As the larva grows, it molts, its future wings first becoming apparent about halfway through the larva’s development. Eventually, the larva crawls out of the water (often at night) and molts one last time, emerging as an adult and leaving behind a cast skin (exuvia). In 2021 the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) released the first global assessment of dragonflies as an update to their Red List of Threatened Species.
