Blue Damselflies
While paddling on Lac le Jeune swarms of blue damselflies hovered over shallow areas. They landed on the kayak or on lily pads and logs. A number were flying while mating. Damselflies are smaller than dragonflies, have separate eyes, and bring their wings to their sides at rest. Dragonflies are larger, leave their wings out, and have two eyes with no space between them. Both are predators, feeding on mosquitoes and flies.
Damselflies hatch in the water and predate on aquatic insects and even small fish. As they mature, they climb onto a stalk of reed or anything that pokes above water and shed their exoskeleton. Their bodies harden within an hour and they take to flight. Damselflies are efficient hunters with relatively large wings and eyes. They mate and then lay eggs on the aquatic vegetation, then eventually drop into the lake. The life cycle of a damsellfy is about a year.
While paddling on the lake, not a single mosquito was encountered. Instead of spraying wetlands, I wonder if we should seed damselfly eggs?