You must have encountered these bejewelled insects either in your own garden or at the Botanical Gardens in Penang. They look nearly the same but they are actually two different species of insects.
Both damselflies and dragonflies come in wonderful colurs that can range from metallic black with glimmers of rainbow flashes to a red as brilliant as fresh blood.
But did you know that apart from being as beautiful as flying gems, both dragonflies as well as damselflies play an important role in keeping the population of nuisance species like mosquitoes and flies down? Baby dragonflies and damselflies are called nymphs but look nothing like water fairies. 
In fact, they look more like dragons and they also behave like dragons. Nymphs, which live in the water, catch and eat tadpoles and the larvae of nuisance species. The adult insects catch their prey on the fly, so to speak, biting off the head with their mouths!
Here is an interesting article from Malaysia Biodiversity Information about how to tell whether you are looking at a Dragonfly or a Damselfly.
For more interesting articles like this, please visit the Malaysia Biodiversity Information website by clicking on the link below.
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