Dragonflies have been around for 325 million years. They are characterized by two sets of wings which lay perpendicular to the body of the insect. They are powerful fliers and voracious carnivores eating up to a third of their body weight in insects each day. The nymph form of the dragonfly breathes through its rectum. The larger species may spend as much as 5 to 7 years in the nymph form before emerging as an adult.
Damselflies while having a similar body structure can be recognized by the fact that their wings lay parallel to the body of the insect. They are smaller and more fragile than dragonflies. The flight of the damselfly is much less powerful. They, like dragonflies are also carnivorous feeding on any insect smaller than itself. In the nymph stage they feed on mosquito larvae, tadpoles, small fish or basically anything they can catch in the water. The nymph has gills that form on its abdomen.
