Dragonfly
Dragonflies are large flying insects which live near water, though they may often be seen flying far away from their watery home. They have two pairs of wings which are unequal in size; the hind wings are usually shorter and wider than the fore wings and, when at rest, the wings are held at right angles to the abdomen.
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Their life cycle consists of three main stages: egg (most often laid under water), larva (water-dwelling), and adult. The larva may live for weeks under water feeding, growing and moulting shedding its skin as it grows. The adult dragonfly is the product of the final moult, which takes place out of the water. They are fearsome predators taking midges and mosquitoes in flight. Dragonflies develop their spectacular, jewel-like colour slowly as adults it can often take a few days for them to develop their full colour, and some continue to change colour as they grow older. Dragonflies are often confused with their smaller, slower cousins, damselflies. They can be distinguished most easily when at rest damselflies have four equally sized wings that they hold along the length of the body, and their eyes are always separate on the sides of the head, whereas the eyes of the dragonfly invariably touch.
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