Dragonflies!

Dragonflies!

Amazing Dragonflies Bzzt! You're walking by a pond when something zooms past your head. It's bigger than a bumblebee. It's faster than a butterfly. It's an amazing dragonfly!

What Are Dragonflies? Dragonflies are flying insects with long bodies and two pairs of wings. They come in every color of the rainbow. Some dragonflies have colorful stripes. Some even change color over time.

Young Dragonflies Dragonflies need water during every stage of their life cycle. Adults lay their eggs in water or on plants near water. The young dragonflies live in water for one or more years after they hatch.

Young dragonflies look very different from adult dragonflies. They have gills inside their bodies, which allow them to breathe under the water. Dull green or brown coloring helps them hide from fish, frogs, and other hungry animals.

As dragonflies grow, their skin doesn't grow with them. Instead, young dragonflies shed their entire outer layer every time they need to grow. When a young dragonfly is ready to become an adult, it crawls out of the water. The last layer of skin splits open, and the adult dragonfly climbs out.