As their name implies, damselflies are delicate insects. They have a gentle, fluttering flight style, so they often fly amid vegetation rather than in the open. But, like their larger relatives the dragonflies, they are predatory insects with voracious appetites; they take a toll of midges, mosquitoes, and other insect prey as they feed.

In size the Kansas species range from tiny pond damsels, an inch or so in length, to the Great Spreadwing, almost two and a half inches long. Their colors vary widely. The spectacular Ebony Jewelwing has black, shining wings that look as if they were carved from a semi-precious stone. It has a metallic green body with an iridescent glow that brightens the shady woods it frequents. On the other hand, some of the drab female pond damsels are shades of tan and muted pastel colors. They are so inconspicuous that we have to search carefully through the sedges and grasses to find them.

While their retiring habits require more care on our part to bring them to our notice, once we find them, their habits also make them easy to study, since they carry out their life's work in confined areas. Some of the most thorough studies of damselfly behavior were done by George and Juanda Bick, who spent many summers observing pond and stream species in Oklahoma. Their articles (Ref. 6-10) are worth looking for in the library, as they document the lives of many of the damselflies commonly found in Kansas.

Damselflies and dragonflies are placed into the Order Odonata, damselflies in Suborder Zygoptera, dragonflies in Suborder Anisoptera. The dragonflies of Kansas were the subject of an earlier issue of the Kansas School Naturalist (Ref. 5). Both suborders are aquatic in their immature stages, and are usually found near the water as adults.

Damselflies lay their eggs into plant tissue. The immature damselfly, called a nymph or larva, lives in the water for one or more years, undergoing as many as 15 molts as it grows. The larva possesses a hinged and hooked lower lip which folds beneath the head and can be extended out to grasp and pull back its prey. Damselfly larvae have three leaf-like external gills at the ends of their abdomens which are also used like fins to help them swim.

Eventually the damselfly larva climbs from the water to undergo a final molt in which the adult insect emerges from the larval skin. The newly emerged insect is relatively soft, and is quite vulnerable to predation. It flies away from the water to mature, returning later to mate.

Damselflies have a variety of approaches to reproduction. Members of the family Calopterygidae are quite territorial and the males sometimes use a courtship display to woo potential mates. In the families Coenagrionidae and Lestidae there are no courtship displays, but the female usually oviposits while being held in tandem by the male. In some cases, the male guards the female as she oviposits to protect her from other males.

It is fascinating and instructive to watch damselflies at the pond or stream and to learn from observation how they go about their lives. This issue will help you to identify living adult damselflies; Ref's. 27 & 28 cover larval identification. Use these resources to help you learn more about damselflies in Kansas.