Odonata, like dentures, dentists, and orthodontists, refers to the tooth like ridges on their mandible mouth parts and it works for the nymphs too. Chewing is a big part of the dragonfly life. Among the common species found in the United States are the family Gomphinae, with black bodies striped with green or yellow. Anax junius , with clear wings and a green head and thorax, often called the green darner, may be one of the most widely distributed. They tend to perch on the end of alligator noses.
Dragonflies play an important role in the control of the mosquito population.
When they are nothing but dragonfly nymphs, they prey upon mosquito larvae, and when they reach adulthood, they eat mosquitoe adults.