The mating ritual of the moorland hawker dragonfly—common around the ponds ... which are near his thorax. Thus joined in a lopsided-heart shape, they land and complete the sex act, whereupon ...

Bit by bit, the delicate body of the dragonfly begins to emerge. First, the head and thorax become visible, followed by the legs, which carefully free themselves from the larval casing.

Two distinct yellow lateral strips mark their thorax and fade into white as the dragonflies age ... and Missouri are home to the Hine's emerald dragonfly today. Historically, this species was known to ...