Together, dragonflies and damselflies comprise a group of insects called odonata, which groms from the Greek word meaning "tooth." Indeed, they have teeth on their mandibles, but so do a lot of other insects.
Odonata have been around for a long time, at least 250 million years.
The easy way to tell these two groups apart is to observe how they rest their wings. Dragonfly wings are stretched out to their sides when they perch on a leaf or tree. On the other hand, damselflies fold their wings over their relatively smaller bodies. You might actually mistake them for butterflies.
According to the Ohio Division of Wildlife, 164 species of odonata have been found in the state. A common species is the Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly. You can’t miss its black wings as it flits about very quickly. It’s typically around until the fall equinox.
To learn more about Ohio's odonata, the Division of Wildlife has an informative PDF.
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