What Are Damselflies? A Beginner's Guide to Damselflies and How They Differ from Dragonflies

Damselflies are small, slender insects in the suborder Zygoptera, part of the order Odonata alongside dragonflies (Anisoptera). You can usually tell one at rest by its thin body, widely separated eyes, and wings held folded along or slightly above the abdomen rather than spread flat. They are most easily watched around still or slow-moving water in spring and summer, and they are identifiable in the field or from photographs if you record a few consistent details.

What "Damselfly" Means and Where They Sit in Odonata

Odonata splits into two suborders:

• Zygoptera — damselflies. The name refers to the paired, similar-shaped forewings and hindwings (zygo- = paired, -ptera = wings).
• Anisoptera — dragonflies. Here the forewings and hindwings differ in shape (aniso- = unequal).

Both groups share the same basic body plan — large eyes, a long abdomen, two pairs of membranous wings — but they differ in proportions, posture, and flight style. DragonflyPix, a site selling photographs of European and Australian dragonflies and damselflies, uses this same split in its image cataloguing: photo identifiers beginning "Da" mark damselflies and "Dr" mark dragonflies, and as of June 2021 the damselfly range ran from Da001 to Da940.

The Main Differences from Dragonflies

The wing posture is the fastest check. If the wings are closed over the back like a folded pocket knife, it is almost certainly a damselfly. A few damselfly groups, such as the spreadwings, hold their wings partly open, so confirm with the eye spacing and body shape.

Where to Find Them and How They Behave

Damselflies are tied to water for breeding but often range into nearby vegetation. Look for them:

• Around ponds, lakes, canals, ditches, and slow streams
• In damp meadows, woodland rides, and tall grass near water
• Perched at the tips of reeds, sedges, and low twigs, often in the open

Most adults are active in warm daylight, and many species are most visible from late spring through summer. Males frequently patrol low over the water or defend a perch; females may be seen egg-laying, sometimes with the male still attached. Their weak flight means they are easy to follow with the eye and relatively easy to approach.

Observing and Photographing Them Responsibly

A practical field routine:

1. Approach slowly and low. Sudden movement above them triggers escape; move in from the side and pause often.
2. Get a side view first. This shows abdomen length, wing position, and thorax markings in one frame.
3. Then take a top or front view. Eye spacing and the pattern on the top of the thorax and abdomen separate similar species.
4. Record the context. Note habitat type, perch height, date, and whether the insect was alone, in a pair, or egg-laying.
5. Avoid disturbance. Do not net, handle, or chase individuals repeatedly, and keep away from dense breeding aggregations.

DragonflyPix's own image metadata shows the kind of record that makes a photograph useful later: each photo is tagged with a unique ID, date, time, country, aperture, shutter speed, focal length, ISO, camera model, and whether it was cropped or flash was used. For example, one Azure Bluet (Coenagrion puella) image carries the note "Da071 21/06/2016 15:32 Sweden F8 1/160 180mm ISO400 Canon7D2 -Crop -Flash MF." You do not need all of that, but date, location, and a note on behavior will let you or someone else confirm an identification months later.

On reuse: the site states that its small 1200 x 800 pixel versions may be downloaded, but they must not be redistributed, modified, or republished without prior written permission, and the same applies to its text. Treat any reference collection the same way.

Common Identification Pitfalls

• Confusing damselflies with small dragonflies. Check wing posture at rest and eye spacing before anything else.
• Relying on color alone. Colors shift with age, temperature, and light, and many species share blue, green, or red markings.
• Ignoring the sex and age. Immature damselflies are often duller than mature adults; males and females of the same species can look quite different.
• Skipping the underside and appendages. For difficult pairs, the shape of the abdominal appendages at the tip and the markings under the thorax are decisive.
• Judging from one photo. A single top view is often not enough; aim for side, top, and front views of the same individual.

Where to Go for Species References

For European and Australian species, DragonflyPix is a usable starting point: it hosts photographs organized by species, with the metadata described above, and its stated focus is European and Australian dragonflies and damselflies. Use it to compare images and to see what a well-documented record looks like. For identification keys and distribution, pair photographs with a regional field guide or a national recording scheme, since a photo gallery is a comparison aid rather than a key.