How do they look?

Dragonflies are brightly colored, vibrant insects, typically medium to large in size with a length ranging from 2 to 8 cm. They have a streamlined body, a large, mobile head dominated by well-developed compound eyes. Their wings consist of two pairs of transparent, veined wings. At the leading edge of the wings, there is a dark thickening known as the wing node, serving as a stabilizer to prevent wing vibrations during flight.

What do they eat?

Dragonflies are predatory, capturing flies, mosquitoes, and other insects during flight. The larvae of dragonflies feed on the larvae of other insects, small crustaceans, and fish fry.

Where do they live?

Dragonfly larvae inhabit various water bodies such as lakes, ponds, puddles, large ditches, and rivers. They prefer staying close to water, especially during the hotter hours of the day. Dragonflies typically mate in the air.

These insects also serve as indicators of water quality - dragonflies avoid polluted waters. In Latvia, 54 species have been identified, with the most common being the broad-bodied chaser, brown hawker, and migrant hawker.

Information sources: https://www.latvijasdaba.lv, Wikipedia, Kreslina L. ‘Insects in Latvia’

Photo: pixabay.com, redzet.eu