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The Hazen's Notch Association is a non-profit conservation organization located in montgomery center, vermont.

The hna provides environmental education programs for schools, conducts a summer camp for children, maintains a network of trails for cross country skiing, snowshoeing and hiking on 2,500 acres of land and serves as a local land trust.

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Nature News from the Green Mountains of Northern Vermont
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Insects >

Dragonflies and Damselflies

Insect Order: Odonata

  Dragonflies and damselflies belong to the insect order, Odonata and are symbolic of a memorable visit to a pond, lake, stream, or brook in Summer. The name Odonata comes from the Greek word for tooth and refers to the well-developed mouthparts (technically not teeth) that these insects bear as they hunt for insects on the wing. They have vivid, iridescent coloring, beautiful patterning and very descriptive family names: darners, clubtails, spiketails, cruisers, emeralds and skimmers within the dragonflies; and jewelwings, spreadwings and pond damsels in the damselflies.


Identifying Features

  Dragonflies belong to the suborder Anisoptera, which means unequal wings. Damselflies belong to the suborder Zygoptera, which means equal wings. In dragonflies, the pair of forewings and the pair of hindwings have different (unequal) shapes; and dragonflies are generally larger with stout bodies, wings that are held flat out to the sides when resting and are strong fliers and prodigious predators. In damselflies, the two pairs of wings have similar (equal) shapes; and damselflies are generally smaller with slender bodies, wings that are held completely (jewelwings and pond damsels) or partially (spreadwings) folded over the back when resting, fly more slowly than dragonflies and hunt with greater stealth. The eyes on dragonflies are placed close together and usually touch at the middle of the face or may have a slight space between; the eyes on damselflies are spaced widely apart.


Some dragonflies commonly found throughout the Northeast:



1) Chalk-fronted Corporal, Libellula julia



2) Twelve-spotted Skimmer, Libellula pulchella



3) Canada Darner, Aeschna canadensis




Some damselflies commonly found throughout the Northeast:



1) Ebony Jewelwing, Calopteryx maculata



2) Common Spreadwing, Lestes disjunctus



3) Familiar Bluet, Enallagma civile

- Deborah Benjamin

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For More Information
In recent years, several new field guides have been published with excellent illustrations, photos, range maps and descriptions that help in keying out these beautiful insects. In Vermont there are about 95 species of dragonflies and about 45 species of damselflies. Two biologists are actively adding knowledge to the current status and distribution of odonates in Vermont: Bryan Pfeiffer of Wings Environmental in Plainfield and Michael Blust of Green Mountain College in Poultney.

See also: Vermont Nature News > Insects > Butterflies

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Wildlife Observation Tips
Look for dragonflies and damselflies at any body of water from early June – late Fall. Modern optical design advances have produced a new genre of binoculars called “close-focusing” binoculars. Traditional binoculars have a close focus distance of about 15’; now binoculars can focus as close as 4.5,’ which allows the spectator the opportunity to view butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies in dazzling detail.

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Recommended Reading
Dragonflies Through Binoculars: A Field Guide to Dragonflies of North America. Sidney W. Dunkle.
Oxford University Press. 2000.

Stoke’s Beginner’s Guide to Dragonflies and Damselflies. Blair Nikula, Jackie Sones, Donald and Lillian Stokes. Little, Brown. 2002.

A Field Guide to the Dragonflies and Damselflies of Massachusetts. Blair Nikula, Jennifer L. Loose, Matthew R. Burne. Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program. 2003.

Damselflies of the Northeast, A Guide to the Species of Eastern Canada and the Northeastern United States. Ed Lam. Biodiversity Books, Forest Hills. 2004.

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This page was last updated on January 1, 2009

Copyright 2001-2009 Hazen's Notch Association for the Environment, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.

  Hazen's Notch Association  l  P.O. Box 478  l  Montgomery Center VT 05471  l  info@hazensnotch.org  l  802.326.4799