An old country name for dragonflies was "horse stingers". It was an inaccurate name -- dragonflies never attack any creature which they cannot catch in flight.

One of the largest insects in Britain today, the dragonfly starts its life in water where it hatches from an egg, generally laid on a water plant. When it reaches maturity it is a fierce hunter and eats any tiny animal or insect that it can catch. It catches its prey as it flies.

Curiously, although dragonflies have four wings, each wing can be used independently of the others.

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