Dragonflies are ancient predators, helpful for humans. They eat mosquitoes and flies. Dragonfly nymphs live in water before becoming adults. They thrive near water bodies. Males guard territories ...

Dragonfly young, called nymphs, are completely aquatic. Adding a pond, fountain, or a small water feature with plants around the edges is the perfect way to attract dragonflies to your yard.

It is hard to tell which kind of dragonfly a nymph will be as an adult. Dragonflies eat mosquitoes. I used a garden rake to pull leaf debris from the edge of a pond to find this harmless nymph.

Water is drawn in through the anus, then the nymph tenses its muscles against all that water, which in turn raises the pressure inside the rectum and pushes its mouthparts out. This strike can ...

Dragonflies are spectacular insects in Texas aquatic gardens with over 150 species (of 3,000 living species worldwide) in this state.