Dragonflies and damselflies are Odonates (Order Odonata), meaning “the toothy ones”. Both adults and larvae chew up their living prey. However, they are harmless to people and they neither bite nor sting. They are sometimes mistakenly thought to be attacking as they gather up the black flies, mosquitoes, deer flies, and horse flies that are the real attackers. The Odonates have large wings, elongate bodies and small bristle-like antennae.

This is a very distinctive Order of insects made up of two kinds. The dragonflies (infraorder Anisoptera) hold their wings horizontally and have a compact head with the eyes separated by a small space less than their own width. Damselflies (infraorder Zygoptera) differ in having their wings held above the body (vertically) when at rest and they have a large space between the eyes greater than their own width.

Flying odonate adults lay eggs in or near the water. The tiny eggs hatch in a week or overwinter, hatching in the spring. The brown/green aquatic larvae, called nymphs, have a clawed lower lip that can be projected at a speed of 1/100th of a second to capture prey. Nymphs grow by moulting their skin 8 to 17 times. Mature nymphs then leave the water and expand by swallowing air. This splits the skin and a pale creature emerges. The wings at first appear shrivelled, but they soon expand. At the same time the body hardens and colours develop. Within a few hours of emerging from the water, the dragonfly is full-grown and launches on its first flight. Males of some species defend territories and others indulge in complex mating flights. When mating, the male holds the front of the female with the tip of his abdomen.

Species in the NWT range in size from the very large lake darner (8 cm long) to the delicate metallic green sedge sprite (3 cm long). Some species are found only in specific aquatic habitats. For example, nymphs of the boreal snakestail occur only in fast flowing water including rapids and waterfalls. The nymphs of the whitefaced meadowhawk inhabit shallow temporary pools. Most of the NWT dragonflies occur in the boreal forest zone and only a few species (sedge darner, taiga bluet) were known extend out onto the tundra. In 2017 the first sedge darner was photographed on Banks Island, the northernmost record of a dragonfly in Canada. In 2019, four additional species were reported for the first time from the NWT’s Southern Arctic Ecozone (black meadowhawk, lake darner, azure darner, and ringed emerald).

Dragonflies and damselflies have become symbolic of the natural world to many people. They are used to represent nature in art, advertisement, and company and program logos.

They are monitored as indicators of the state of the environment. They consume pest insects including biting flies. They also have a major impact on ecosystems as both predators and prey. Numerous fish and birds, including young of the endangered whooping crane, will feed extensively on the aquatic larvae of dragonflies.

There is still much to be learned about NWT dragonflies. If you are visiting or living in any NWT region, you may be able to help document the dragonfly fauna of the North. Photos are welcome. Collecting specimens may be done but only if you see that the population is large. Collected insects should be placed individually with wings folded over the back in an envelope. The date, location, and collector’s name should be noted on the envelope. Next the envelopes should be frozen, put in a dry place to dry out and shipped in a box to prevent damage. They may be shipped to ECC.

There are 42 species of odonates confirmed present in the NWT, and eleven more species are expected to be present.