When dragonflies and damselflies complete the metamorphosis from water-dwelling nymphs to air-breathing aerial acrobats, initially their wings are clear and shiny, their bodies are pale and colorless, and they are very vulnerable. At this stage of development, it is often difficult to identify the species to which they belong. Over time, their wings harden, their bodies take on the markings and coloration of their species, and identification becomes easier.
During a dragonfly-hunting trip earlier this month with fellow dragonfly enthusiast Walter Sanford, I spotted several damselflies that had recently emerged, a stage often referred to as “teneral.” The first one was perched on a rock in the creek that we were exploring and the second was perched in some vegetation alongside the creek.
If you click on the images to get a more close-up view of the damselflies, you will note some indication of stripes on the thorax and thin rings around some of the segments of the abdomen. During the day, we saw adults of at least three different damselfly species, so we can infer that these tenerals belong to that small group of species, but there is not enough information to make a call. I’m happy that I was able to capture some cool images of the damselflies.
If you would like to read Walter’s discussion of the first damselfly and to view his photos, check out his blog posting that he titled “Acceptable uncertainty.”
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
I never would have guessed that they emerged so pale. I suppose the lack of vibrant color helps them to survive. Very interesting.
The emergence process is incredible, because after they exit their exoskeletons their bodies grow in length and their wings start to expand. For some large dragonflies, this process can take up to 3 to 4 hours. With the smaller species, it goes much more quickly.
LOVED the added knowledge you gave me; I used to use the dragonfly metamorphosis in my earlier writing. This adds even more insight to my analogies and excites me for that reason.
Thanks, Laura. I can’t remember if I have shared this link with you already, but a few years ago I got to witness and photograph a dragonfly’s metamorphosis. It’s a pretty cool sequence of shots, if you have not seen it before. https://michaelqpowell.com/2016/06/08/metamorphosis-of-a-dragonfly/
Beyond cool. These photos are exquisite, Mike, and I so enjoyed the damselfly lessons from you and Walter Sanford. I can imagine what a thrill it must’ve been to spot these damselflies in their teneral (new word for me) stages. I zoomed in to your photos and was completely dazzled by the insects’ colorless beauty, the eyes and other body parts. The water in the first photo is mesmerizing.
Thanks, Jet. I was wondering if anyone would comment on the water. In my mind the shot would have been a cool one even without the damselfly. The water in the stream was moving and I think the fact that it was out of focus and the shutter speed was relatively slow caused the water to turn into blurry swirls. I am glad you took the trouble to zoom in on the details. The wings, eyes, and bodies are even more amazing when you see them up close.
Very nice images Mike! Reminds me of my old home where we saw this quite often. But each time it was great to see.👍
Thanks, Reed. I am happy when I see that dragonflies and damselflies have survived the emergence process. I read somewhere that quite a few have issues or are picked off by predators as they emerge.
[…] Resource: Newly emerged damselflies, a companion blog post by Michael […]
Great shot!
Thank you very much for the education. Fascinating. And the photo with the damselfly on the rock with the water in the background is frame-worthy.
Thanks, Michael. I am not quite sure how I got the water to look like that, but I did something right for sure.
I suspect you had a pretty wide aperture, and possibly a slightly slow shutter speed. Sure is pretty.
Thanks, Michael. I was being a little lazy. I went back and checked the EXIF data and it was f/8.0, 1/80 sec, ISO 800 with my 180mm macro lens on my Canon 50D.
And you were pretty close up at 180 mm at f/8 so that’s why. Shallow depth of field. Beautiful.
And your Canon 50D has a crop sensor so you were shooting at an equivalent focal length of about 250mm.
I’ve read about this but haven’t seen teneral eclosures myself. Nice catches, Mike.
Sure can be tricky. So many parts to a dragonfly.
Great find, Mike, and nicely caught. I’ve seen many an emerging and recently-emerged dragon (most notably our glorious Hagenius, but the gamsel tenerals are much more elusive, and so delicate.
Thanks, Gary. We were walking alongside and in a creek, which I am guessing is where the damselflies were emerging. I think that is how we happened upon them when they were so fresh and newly emerged.
Like ghosts! and made me think how it would be fascinating to put together a “colourless” post!