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Free images - Dragonfly Nymph Hatching Note
on large files: Very large files may be bigger than your screen.
Dragonflies belong to the order Odonata. They have a long body, two pairs of strong, transparent wings, large multifaceted eyes and six legs. Although they cannot walk very well, they are one of the fastest flying insects. Since their larvae are aquatic, dragonflies can be found around water sources and wetlands such as ponds, marshes, lakes and streams. There are well over 5 thousands species of dragonflies! A dragonfly has three life stages: the egg, the nymph and the adult dragonfly. Female dragonflies lay their eggs near a water source or on floating plants or reeds and grasses. The eggs hatch into “nymphs”. Most of a dragonfly’s life is spent as a nymph, living beneath the water’s surface breathing through gills.
One sunny June day, I was witness to the "hatching" of dragonfly nymphs in Northern Ontario and the emergence of hundreds of dragonflies. If you didn't look carefully, you would miss the event entirely since this miraculous transformation took place quietly on grasses, reeds and shrubbery beside Gourd Lake at Grundy Lake Provincial Park. The nymph (larval) stage of some species of dragonfly can last as long as five years, but ranges between two months to three years. During this stage, the nymphs grow and molt their shells 10 to 12 times before being ready to hatch into adults.
Hatching
Area - 1 Medium - 640 x 480 Right click on above image and chose "save as". Large - 3188 x 2392 - Still free, but now only available by email request.
Hatching Area - 2 Medium - 640 x 480 Right click on above image and chose "save as". Large - 2448 x 3264 - Still free, but now only available by email request.
A
quick glance at this lake in
Hatching Area - 3 Medium - 640 x 480 Right click on above image and chose "save as". Large - 3264 x 2448 - Still free, but now only available by email request.
When the time comes for the larva (nymph) to change (metamorphose) or into an adult, it leaves the water and crawls along the shoreline ground hunting for a suitable plant, grass or reed on which to “hatch”. As it is exposed to air, the larva begins to breathe. The metamorphosis takes place in spring and I was lucky to have caught the entire process on camera. I first noticed many crawling insects along the sandy banks and grasses of the lake. These were the nymphs of dragonflies looking for a secure place to latch onto to begin the next phase of their lives. They scurried about very quickly and climbed grasses, reeds, small shrubs, and even me.
Nymph
Crawling - 1 Medium - 640 x 480 Right click on above image and chose "save as". Large - 3523 x 2643 - Still free, but now only available by email request.
Nymph
Crawling - 2 Medium - 640 x 480 Right click on above image and chose "save as". Large - 4608 x 3456 - Still free, but now only available by email request.
Nymph Crawling - 3 Medium - 640 x 480 Right click on above image and chose "save as". Large - 3917 x 2938 - Still free, but now only available by email request.
With a vice-like grip, the nymphs took hold of an upright plant. No amount of wind or shaking of the plant could loosen their tight grip. Instantly they became motionless. After several minutes, a lump appeared on the back of the Nymph, the skin or exoskeleton cracked open at a weak spot behind the head, and soon a new head began to emerge. Ever so slowly, the dragonfly’s head pushed through the cracked opening.
Nymph
- 1 Medium - 640 x 480 Right click on above image and chose "save as". Large - 3726 x 2793 - Still free, but now only available by email request.
Nymph
- 2 Medium - 640 x 480 Right click on above image and chose "save as". Large - 4608 x 3456 - Still free, but now only available by email request.
Nymph
- 3 Medium - 640 x 480 Right click on above image and chose "save as". Large - 4608 x 3456 - Still free, but now only available by email request.
Nymph
- 4 Medium - 640 x 480 Right click on above image and chose "save as". Large - 3777 x 2830 - Still free, but now only available by email request.
Nymph - 5 Medium - 640 x 480 Right click on above image and chose "save as". Large - 2761 x 2071 - Still free, but now only available by email request.
Nymph - 6 Attached to an Alder Leaf Medium - 640 x 480 Right click on above image and chose "save as". Large - 4608 x 3456 - Still free, but now only available by email request.
The large eyes and head emerge slowly upside down. As the dragonfly hangs upside down, still attached to its Nymph body, its long slender new form begins to emerge. White slender legs push the body from the Nymph shell. There are long periods of no movement, followed by shudders and back and forth movements as the dragonfly pushes himself out of the exoskeleton.
Nymph Hatching - 1 Medium - 640 x 480 Right click on above image and chose "save as". Large - 4608 x 3456 - Still free, but now only available by email request.
Nymph Hatching - 2 Medium - 640 x 480 Right click on above image and chose "save as". Large - 4608 x 3456 - Still free, but now only available by email request.
Nymph Hatching - 3 Medium - 640 x 480 Right click on above image and chose "save as". Large - 4608 x 3456 - Still free, but now only available by email request.
Nymph Hatching - 4 Medium - 640 x 480 Right click on above image and chose "save as". Large - 3890 x 2918 - Still free, but now only available by email request.
Dragonfly Nymph Image Pages [1] [2] [3] Return to Main Photo Gallery Index
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