“Dragonflies and Damselflies of the World: A Guide to Their Diversity” by Klaas-Douwe B. Dijkstra

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Rating: 5/5 Stars.

A fascinating book that looks at the dragonflies and damselflies (order Odonata) that can be found in the world. Many lovely photos of Odonata (some rarely seen) are featured in the book, showing off the dazzling colours and the variety of body and wing shapes; some of which I also had the pleasure of shooting with a camera.

The book start with a general overview of Odonata, including the differences between the two. Despite these differences, all Odonata share common features: their nymphs live in fresh water, before emerging to become agile aerial predators. Because of this dual life-style, Odonata have become an indicator of the health of water ecosystems. Unlike other insect groups like the bees and butterflies (and moths), Odonata are not plant pollinators, but their predatory lifestyle can help to keep down the population of other insects in the area.

The book then looks at the suborder of dragonflies, starting with the common families of dragonflies, before covering the rarer families. Their various lifestyles (location, ways of hunting, courting, etc.) are briefly covered. An interesting note is made of the Australian Shutwing dragonflies. While dragonflies usually rest with their wings open wide, the Shutwing rests with its wings closed (like a damselfly).

Before moving on to the damselflies, the book covers an interesting suborder known as the Damseldragons. These are Odonata with features from both dragonflies and damselflies (eyes like dragonflies, wings like damselflies) and is usually considered an ancient, “primitive” offshoot of the dragonflies.

The book then looks at the suborder of damselflies, from the common families of damselflies, then moving on to the rarer families. I personally found the damselflies featured in the book more fascinating than the dragonflies, with a larger variety of body shapes, wings and colouration featured.

The book is, of course, not the final word on the Odonata. Many species have yet to be named, and the relationships between different families of dragonflies and damselflies is yet to be firmly established. As a general guide to Odonata, this book excels by providing an overall picture of how and where Odonata can be found and what they look like via excellent photos in the book.

Book read from 2026/04/17 to 2026/04/22.