Damselfly larva. 20x magnification. Brightfield microscopy.

Damselflies are a type of insect that look kind of like dragonflies once they mature. However, they spend most of their lives underwater and very little time in their final form. First, they start out as eggs laid in mud or directly in a body of water. After a few weeks, they hatch into their larval form and live in the water column, feeding on water fleas and other zooplankton when they’re super small and tadpoles and larger prey as they grow. Before they grow into the adult form we’re most familiar with, they molt (shed and replace their exoskeleton) up to fifteen times. This can take from three months to two years depending on the species and living conditions in the water. Once they mature and take their adult form with four wings, vibrant body colors, loss of the three breathing gills from the end of their abdomen, and gain the ability to fly, they only live just a couple of weeks so that they can mate, lay eggs and then die. A great example of the circle of life!