They are predaceous, they are mostly wingless. Their courtship and mating involve communication by ripples in the water's surface film. The female lays parallel rows of eggs on an object at water's edge. Nymphs mature in about 5 weeks. These insects are called Skaters in Canada or Jesus Bugs in Texas because they walk on water.
Damselflies are familiar insects found around streams.
The immature, called naiads, develop in the water. The immature forms are usually dull colored or hairy to catch their prey and match their surroundings at the bottom of the pond. The naiads breathe by leaf-shaped external gills at the end of their abdomen. Transformation from naiad to adult takes place on a piling or on a plant stem sticking out of the water. The naiad's outer skin splits lengthwise on the upper surface and the adult damselfly emerge.