The Order Odonata contains dragonflies and damselflies. These are some of my favorite insects to photograph; they are large, they are abundant, and they are fascinating animals.

An online site that can help in identification of dragonflies and damselflies is www.OdonataCentral.org. OdonataCentral is also the hosting website for the Dragonfly Society of the Americas.

The order Odonata is divided into two suborders: Anisoptera (the dragonflies) and Zygoptera (the damselflies). Those for which I have photographs are listed below.

Anisoptera (the dragonflies)

• Libellulidae is a large family containing what are known as the Common Skimmers. These dragonflies are frequently brightly colored.

• Abbott, John C.. Dragonflies and Damselflies of Texas and the South-Central United States: Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2005.
  
• Milne, Lorus J., and Margery Milne. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1980.