Over 5,000 species compose the ancient order of Odonata, which means “toothed ones”. To say they are ancient insects is no joke; these little guys were around even before the dinosaurs.
The damselfly starts its mornings as many of us wish we could: by basking in the sun to “warm up” for the day’s events. On overcast days, the fly will beat its wings together to make its own heat. Once warmed up, the damselfly almost never stops moving until nighttime, when it rests vertically on plant stems and only moves if its life is in imminent danger.
Even the damselfly has to eat, and no doubt its eating ritual is just as quirky as its appearance. The fly will capture its prey (including tiny crustaceans and even fish) while hovering mid-air, and retain it with the sticky hairs on its legs–munching as it flies.
Like males of many kinds in nature, the male damselfly is more colorful than the female. This makes their mating ritual all the more fantastical. Most male damselflies revolve around a female in different flight patterns to show off their “fitness” and vibrancy. Generally, if a
female is interested, she sticks around to watch. If not, she simply flies away.
