After hatching from an egg, dragonflies
begin their life in an larval stage.
Dragonfly larva are aquatic and breath through gills. In this stage
their chief predators are fish and frogs while their main source of food
is fish-spawn, tadpoles and the larvae of smaller insects. The larval
stage can vary in duration from about three months to four or more
years.
A Dragonfly spends the majority
of its live in the larval stage (1 to 2 years). An adult Dragonfly
typically only lives a few months. |
When the larva has completed its growth and
development it will climb up the stem of a reed or other plant, until it
is well out of the water, and affixes itself firmly by means of its
claws. The insects then breaks out of its larval casing and the adult
insect emerges. Adults use their new found wings to disperse from their
place of birth and in a few weeks reach reproductive maturity. Females
lay eggs, usually in a secluded location, along a bank or in thick
stream or lake side vegetation. |