Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

Damselflies and dragonflies...what’s the difference?

Damselflies are more slender and their wings come to their sides at rest. Dragonflies have thicker bodies and their wings remain extended when perched.

 http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthropoda/uniramia/odonatoida.html

Photo credit: Bonnie Ott. Taken during the BugBlitz at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Maryland.