Dragonflies (Ordonata) have not changed significantly in the last 150 million years, a clear sign of a successful species.

Thanks to independent control of the four wings, dragonflies are true acrobats in the air, they are very agile, fast and can even fly backwards. Add to this an excellent eyesight and strong jaws and you have the ideal killing machine. Dragonflies eat insects and are notorious cannibals.

The larvae (nymphs) live in the water, so dragonflies mostly stay near water where they can lay their eggs. By the way, the larvae are just as voracious as the parents, they eat small fish and even each other!

Males are usually a bit more colorful than females and therefore more recognizable as a species.

In the water-rich Empelse Waard and Hedelse Bovenwaard you will find dragonflies everywhere, like Darters, Black-tailed skimmers, Migrant Hawkers,  Scarlet Dragonfly and Broad-bodied Darter.

White-legged damselflies are  common here, as are Red-eyed damselflies and Blue-tailed Damselflies.

The photos are from 2022 onwards.