Craft Videos

Dragonfly Crafts

Did you know that the earliest known dragonfly species is Delitzschala bitterfeldensis, which is over 300 million years old? According to the Smithsonian’s Fun Facts About Dragonflies, some fossil dragonflies have been found with wingspans over two feet. Modern dragonflies, however, usually have a wingspan of two to four inches.

You can make a Clothespin Model Dragonfly of your own, like this one, using a round clothespin and some open netting such as tulle for the wings.

To find out more about dragonflies, look around the Odonato (Dragonflies and Damselflies site, which has facts about where dragonflies live, how many species there are, and beautiful photos of dragonflies from around the world.

In the United Kingdom, the British Dragonflies Society also has important research information, including ways to conserve dragonflies and their wetland habitats.

Paint a Dragonfly Window Decal with our printable pattern and craft instructions, or use an outline from other printable Dragonfly Coloring PagesDragonfly Coloring Pages as a pattern. The recipe for the decal coloring is a simple combination of glue and food coloring.

If you have a supply of small clay pots, you can make the Clay Pot Dragonflies shown here, with wire mesh wings.

To see dragonflies flying in slow motion, and to find out about the university research being conducted into how dragonflies fly and capture their prey, watch the following short Science Nature video. Since dragonflies eat a lot of mosquitoes (and don’t normally bite humans themselves), there is a lot of interest in using dragonflies to reduce the mosquito population.