dragonfly

Everyday

A dragonfly is a large flying insect with a long thin body and two pairs of clear wings, often seen near water. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons dragonflies are insects with six legs and four wings; their young (nymphs) live in water. They eat mosquitoes. In counting problems, wings and legs of dragonflies are added up.

Examples

• A blue dragonfly flew over the pond. tree →
• Dragonflies have four wings. tree →
• A dragonfly eats mosquitoes. tree →
• The dragonfly's young live under the water. tree →
• We saw two dragonflies on the reeds. tree →
• A dragonfly has 6 legs, so 3 dragonflies have 18 legs. tree →
• Dragonflies have huge eyes. tree →
• The dragonfly hovered like a tiny helicopter. tree →

Note

Plural: dragonflies (y → ies). Myth: dragonflies do not sting people, and they are not dragons or flies. Maths: 1 dragonfly = 4 wings and 6 legs.