Dragonflies and Damselflies are aquatic insects that date back for well over 300 million years. There are over 400 different species of Dragonflies and Damselflies in North America. This ancient order (Odonata) of insects has spawned many terrifying old world superstitions and was given frightening names. One Dragonfly was called the "Devil's Darning Needle" and superstition said that it would sew shut the eyes or mouth of unruly children. Today they have delightfully descriptive names such as "Shadow dragons", "River Cruisers", "Mosquito Hawks", "Wandering Gliders", "Ebony Jewelwings" and many more. The insect order Odonata is divided into the Dragonflies (Anisoptera) and Damselflies (zygoptera) suborders. Dragonflies are fantastic fliers; the most agile of all flying insects. Damselflies are weaker fliers with a fluttering aimless style of flight. Both are brilliantly colored with glittering metallic colored bodies and brightly colored wings. Dragonflies and Damselflies have superb eyesight, in fact they can see in almost every direction simultaneously. They are one of the few insects that feed by eyesight only.
Dragonfly nymphs are an important food source for fish, whereas the adult Dragonflies are such good fliers that fish can rarely catch them. The adult Dragonfly, by hovering inches above the edge of a lily pad will frustrate a big bass into making a spectacular leap in attempt to catch it. The Dragonfly nymphs, called "Naiads", are without a doubt the ugliest and meanest bug in the pond. The Skimmer Dragonfly naiad is so ugly that it looks a prehistoric bug from the dinosaur age. The Dragonfly naiads live in still waters of ponds, lakes and slow moving streams. The abdomen of the Skimmer Dragonfly naiad is wide and very fat, consisting of heavy armored segments with armored spines. At the end of the abdomen there are three pointed spikes of which the center spike is a hollow tube. The naiad draws water into its abdomen to breath oxygen and then forcibly expels it out of this tube, thus it swims by a form of jet propulsion.
This is an illustration of this ugly bug from the book "FRESHWATER" INVERTEBRATES" by J. Reese Voshell, Jr. This book is without a doubt the best book for information of size, color and configuration of freshwater invertebrates of North America. This book is a must for fly tyers of realistic flies.
The Skimmer Dragonfly Naiad is the meanest bug in the pond being identified as an "Engulfer-Predator" The naiads are aquatic predators that capture insects, tadpoles and even small fish by extending a peculiar lower lip at lightning speed. The lower lip is very long and has a hinge at the middle of the length. When the lower lip is extended it is sometimes as long as 1/3 the total length of the naiad's body. They grab their prey with two sharp finger like lobes on the end of the lip. If it is a small organism, it is consumed whole. The Dragonfly naiad will eat any type of prey that it can catch and subdue. It is amazing that this ugly-mean bug will molt into a beautiful, still-mean, adult Dragonfly.
This will be a four part series on tying these innovative flies.
Part One will be the tying of the SKIMMER DRAGONFLY NAIAD.
Part Two will be the tying the adult TWELVE-SPOTTED SKINNER DRAGONFLY.
Part Three will be the tying of the NARROWWINGED DAMSELFLY NAIAD.
Part Four will be the tying of the adult CIRCUMPOLAR BLUET DAMSELFLY.
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