Dragonfly Friday! Another lovely beneficial insect in my garden

What else can I tell you about dragonflies, my favorite insects? How about some basics?

- They belong to the order Odonata, which means "toothed ones."

- There are 2,874 species of dragonflies worldwide, of which only 316 inhabit the United States.

- The largest modern-day dragonfly is the Australian Giant Petaltail, with a wingspan of up to 6.3 inches.

The dragonfly above, perching perilously close to the spider web, is somewhat smaller than that! Someday when I go to Australia I'll look for his giant cousin.