Dragonflies are large, vibrant insects that have been around for over 300 million years — long pre-existing the dinosaurs! They are regularly seen in summer, darting above ponds and rivers, but did you know they spend most of their life underwater?
Dragonfly lifecycle
These insect giants can be seen across the UK, flying near bodies of water during the day. The UK is home to a variety of dragonfly species, each with slight variations in feeding, habitat preferences, and lifecycle. However, all dragonflies undergo these main life stages: egg, larva, and adult.
Of these life stages, they spend most of their life underwater as larvae (also called ‘nymphs’), which can be between one to five years depending on the species. Adult dragonflies typically live for one to two weeks, but some live for up to eight weeks.
The larvae have 6 legs, a head with large eyes, an abdomen and an extendable jaw. They are typically duller in colour than the adults, supporting tones of brown and green. It is unlikely that you will see the larvae unless you go looking for them, but a quick pond dip can result in some amazing finds!
Ferocious feeders
Both adult and larval dragonflies are carnivorous. The larvae are ferocious hunters, predating on other aquatic life, from tiny water fleas to larger prey like tadpoles and fish.
One adaptation that makes them such successful predators is their extendable hinged jaw, which will project forward at high speed to capture prey in the blink of an eye.
Dragonfly exuviae
When ready to transform into adults, the larvae crawl out of the water and find a suitable place to emerge from their exoskeleton (the hard outer casing of an insect). The emergence process is delicate, and the emerging adult is extremely vulnerable to predators — their wings are soft, and they cannot fly until they have hardened.
Once it has flown away, all that is left is the thin fragile outer casing of the larvae, known as the exuviae. A close look at this reveals where features like their eyes and jaws once were. You can also see a hole in the exuviae where the adult emerged.
Finding the alien-looking exuviae on a pond’s edge indicates dragonflies are completing their lifecycle there. With the right knowledge, they can also be identified to species to narrow down what lives in your pond!
Frequently asked questions
- Do damselflies also spend part of their life underwater?
- Yes. Damselfly nymphs look similar to dragonfly nymphs but are daintier with feather-like gills (caudal lamellae) at the end of their bodies.
- When can you see the larvae and exuviae?
- Dragonfly larvae can be found underwater year-round — pond dipping is a great activity to find them. The exuviae can be found on the water’s edge from late spring into summer, with some of the last adult dragonflies emerging in August.
Learn more
Our WildID ‘Dragonflies and Damselflies’ guide features adults of 26 dragonfly species and 20 damselfly species, enabling speedy dragonfly identification in the field. It features beautiful life-size colour paintings by Richard Lewington, plus species profiles with further details.
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