Grasshoppers and Dragonflies: English Vocabulary List

a flying insect with a pair of colorful wings, mostly found around rivers

"The dragonfly hovered above water."

"A dragonfly darted quickly over the pond in the sunlight."

a large usually green predatory insect that catches its prey by its forelimbs, which holds motionless in a prayer state

"The praying mantis waited patiently for its prey."

"The praying mantis remained perfectly still until an unsuspecting fly landed within striking distance of its spiked forelegs."

a large insect with long forelimbs

"The praying mantis eats other insects."

"The praying mantis holds its front legs folded as if in prayer while waiting to ambush prey."

a slender winged insect similar to but smaller than a dragonfly, which folds its wings above its body while at rest

"The damselfly rests with its wings folded together above its body."

"The damselfly rests with its wings folded together above its body unlike the dragonfly which holds wings out flat."

an aquatic insect with transparent wings and a long tail, the nymph of which is herbivorous

"The mayfly lives for only one day."

"The adult mayfly lives for only a few hours to a few days just long enough to mate and lay eggs."

a slender flying insect of the dipteran fly family that has long legs and wings

"Crane flies look like giant mosquitoes but do not bite humans."

"The crane fly looks like a giant mosquito but adults do not bite or feed on blood."

a large insect of homopterous family that has transparent wings and a wide head, the male of which produces a loud clicking noise

"Cicadas emerge from underground every after a prime number of years."

"Cicadas emerge from underground after seventeen years in some species filling summer air with their loud buzzing calls."