Wonderful Wacky Water Critters

Dragonfly

It is interesting to watch a dragonfly nymph catch its dinner of small insects and tadpoles. It uses a scoop-like lower lip called a labium (lay-bee-um) to reach out and grab its food. The nymph breathes through gills located inside the tip of its abdomen. It can move as if jet propelled with these gills. The adult is a swift, graceful insect that resembles a helicopter as it hunts for mosquitoes and other tasty, flying insects. Some dragonflies can eat over 100 mosquitoes a day. When it lands, it holds its wings out like an airplane. Old folk tales call them Darning Needles, but they can't sew your mouth shut! Read more about the life of a dragonfly.

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