Before It Had Wings: The Underwater Life of a Desert Dragonfly
A Flame Skimmer portrait opens a window onto the aquatic hunter, the final molt, and the first flight.
Before a dragonfly ever takes flight, it has already lived another life underwater. The orange insect in my Flame Skimmer photograph is the adult chapter of a story that begins with an egg and continues as an aquatic hunter. [4]
Look past the color for a moment. Those wings are new equipment. The earlier dragonfly moved through water, grew by shedding its outer skeleton, and eventually climbed into the air for its final transformation. [2]
- A dragonfly’s first active life stage is an aquatic nymph.
- It molts as it grows; there is no chrysalis stage.
- A final climb and molt bring the adult into the air.
Meet the Flame Skimmer
The photograph comes from my Flame Skimmer archive. Its orange body and amber wing patches are useful clues to this western dragonfly, Libellula saturata. Mature males are orange to red; females are generally browner. Color helps, but it is best read alongside wing markings and body shape. [1]
A bent dry stem gives the dragonfly a perch, while green leaves soften into the background. The photograph captures the adult. To follow the rest of its story, start at the waterline.
Below the surface
One insect. Two worlds.
A hunter without wings
After hatching, a dragonfly lives underwater as a nymph, feeding and molting as it grows. It has six legs but no functional wings.
Simplified illustrations, not to scale. The nymph and emergence views explain dragonflies generally; they are not photographs or species-identification guides.
The pond has a predator of its own
A dragonfly nymph, also called a larva, looks squat and practical beside the long, winged adult. It lives underwater and catches other small animals. A specialized lower mouthpart can shoot forward to seize prey; gills inside the body allow it to obtain oxygen from water. This is an active feeding stage, not a resting stage. [3]
As the nymph grows, it molts—shedding an outer skeleton that no longer fits. Dragonflies follow an egg–nymph–adult life cycle, called incomplete metamorphosis. There is no caterpillar or chrysalis chapter. [4]
The time underwater varies among dragonflies. Some species spend years as nymphs, but that is not a timetable for every species—or a way to age the Flame Skimmer in this photograph. [2]
The climb that changes everything
When it is ready, the nymph climbs out onto vegetation or another firm support. Its skin splits, and the adult works its way free. The wings expand; the body and wings must harden before the insect can leave. [2]
The empty shell still gripping the stem is an exuvia. It can look like an intact insect until you notice the opening and the hollow interior. Finding one is a glimpse of a completed emergence, even if the adult has already gone. [2]
This transition is easy to overlook because our eyes follow movement. The flying insect grabs our attention; the quiet stem at the water’s edge holds the evidence.
Why a desert dragonfly still needs water
Flame Skimmers occur around warm ponds, lakes, slow streams, and springs. The adult can hunt away from the water, while the next generation depends on aquatic habitat. A flash of orange over a path is only one part of that connection. [1]
Adult dragonflies can disperse away from the wetlands where they developed. Seeing one beside a trail does not, by itself, identify its birthplace—or prove that the nearest pond produced it. [5]
What to look for on your next walk
From an established path beside freshwater, pause and scan in layers: moving insects above the surface, adults perched on exposed stems, then the stems just above the waterline. An empty nymph skin may be easier to notice once you know its shape.
Watch without pulling plants apart or handling an emerging insect. A longer lens can bring the details closer while you stay back. Record what you actually see: an adult, a hollow skin, or an emergence. Each observation tells a different part of the story.
And when a Flame Skimmer settles long enough for a photograph, remember what the wings leave out. The pond came first.
Questions about dragonfly life cycles
Do dragonflies begin life underwater?
Yes. Their eggs lead to an aquatic nymph, or larval, stage before adulthood. [4]
Does a dragonfly have a chrysalis?
No. Dragonflies develop through egg, nymph, and adult stages, with no pupal stage. [4]
What is the empty dragonfly shell on a reed?
It may be an exuvia: the nymph skin left after an adult emerges. Look for a split and a hollow interior without disturbing it. [2]
Are all Flame Skimmers bright orange?
No. Mature males are orange to red; females are typically browner. Identification should also consider body shape and wing markings. [1]
Can I identify a Flame Skimmer nymph from this illustration?
No. It is a simplified general dragonfly illustration. Flame Skimmer nymphs can be difficult to distinguish from similar species. [1]
Sources and photograph notes
Reviewed October 19, 2026. Species identification and habitat information are distinguished from general dragonfly life-cycle explanations.
- USA National Phenology Network — Flame Skimmer
- National Park Service — River Dragonflies
- National Park Service — Species Spotlight: Dragonflies
- National Park Service — Macroinvertebrates
- National Park Service — Flying Jewels
Original Flame Skimmer photograph by Mark Miller, from the DOI photo archive. The archive filename references The Living Desert and April 22, 2025; the exact capture location and date have not been independently confirmed. The illustrations are simplified, not to scale, and explain general dragonfly development. They do not document this individual’s earlier life or identify a Flame Skimmer nymph. No species-specific development duration is inferred from the photograph.
