To Catch a Dragonfly

A dragonfly in flight.

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There are about 5,700 types of dragonflies around the world.

Photo by LaVonda Walton, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

By attaching tiny radio transmitters to green darner dragonflies, researchers discovered that these insects can travel many kilometers in 1 day.

Photo © Phil Myers, Museum of Zoology⁸, University of Michigan Animal Diversity Web site (animaldiversity.org).

A female green darner dragonfly.

Photo by Michelle L. St. Sauveur, On Nature's Wing Wildlife and Nature Photography (www.onnatureswing.com).

Hine's emerald dragonfly has bright, emerald-green eyes and a metallic body, with yellow stripes on its sides. Its body is about 2.5 inches long and its wingspan reaches 3.3 inches. It is an endangered species and can be found today only in Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Crayfish eat dragonflies, but some dragonflies depend on crayfish burrows for shelter during the winter.

Photo by Eric Engbretson, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service