Bug FAQDowny Emerald
Cordulia aenea · Order: Odonata · Family: Corduliidae
Also called: Downy Emerald Dragonfly
The downy emerald is a metallic green dragonfly about 5 cm long, with fine hairs on its thorax and bright shiny green eyes.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
It has a metallic green and bronze body, a thorax covered with fine hairs, and bright shiny green eyes.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure roughly 5 cm (2 in) in length.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
After hatching, the young live underwater for about three years, passing through several larval and nymphal stages. Adult dragonflies live for only two months, during which they mate and females lay eggs back into the water.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is found throughout most of Europe. In Great Britain it persists in locations where suitable woodland-pond habitat remains, despite losses elsewhere.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 1 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Colorado.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How long do adult downy emeralds live?
Adults are only fully grown for about two months before they die.
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find downy emeralds?
They live in European woodlands near lakes and ponds, laying eggs in the water.
Source: Wikipedia
What do downy emerald larvae look like?
The larvae are aquatic and develop in water for three years before emerging as adults.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Corduliidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downy_emerald
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.