The Dragons Are Hunting

The shed exuvia of an Odonata. Dragon- and damselflies spend their larval stage underwater. These voraciously predatory nymphs climb up on reeds and other vertical structures, anchor themselves, and begin to break out and unfurl their wings, harden off, and then take to the air, leaving these ghostly husks behind.A male Eastern Amberwing (Perithemis tenera), our smallest dragonfly. Some damselfly species are actually longer. A male Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis), I think; the tell-tale wing markings are obscure here and I’m rusty…