growing & crawling: dragons

200 William St Downtown Fredericksburg 540-373-4421

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Growing & Crawling

where there are dragons there are damsels!

By janet douberly

Dragonflies are a well known and popular insect that have won over many hearts with their iridescent colors and impressive wingspan!

Damselflies are a delicate and slightly modified version of dragonflies with just as much beauty and grace!

So how can you tell the difference? One easy way is to go by size. Damselflies are smaller than dragonflies, with bodies that typically range between 1 1/2 inches and 2 inches, while dragonfly bodies are typically longer than 2 inches.

Another way to tell them apart is by looking at the position of their wings. When not in flight, a dragonfly's wings stick straight out, perpendicular to their body like an airplane's wings. A damselfly's wings fold back so they are in line with their body, giving them a more sleek, slender appearance at rest.

What they have in common is they are both beautiful and carnivorous! The way their legs are positioned makes it possible for them to form a cage around another insect that they catch in midair. This means they can snatch and devour insects while in flight, without having to land. Both of these insect eating machines consume their body weight in other insects everyday! Damselflies stick with smaller insects like mosquitoes, flys, and moths, whereas dragonflies eat the same as well as larger prey such as butterflies, bees, and even other dragonflies!

Dragonflies! Damselflies! Now where are the Knightflies?

Janet Douberly is an Employeefly at Downtown Greens.