Veronica Theodoridis, age 13, of Osprey, Fla., for her question:

WHAT IS THE DARNING NEEDLE DRAGONFLY?

Dragonflies are useful and beautiful water insects. Each has four gauze like wings that shimmer and gleam in the sunlight. The dragonfly's body is long and slender and either green, brown or blue. The insect helps man by feeding on harmful pests such as mosquitoes.

The dragonfly has picked up a number of interesting nicknames. One of them is the devil's darning needle. Other nicknames for the dragonfly are snake doctors, snake feeders, horse stingers and mule killers. Damsel flies look like dragonflies but have more slender bodies and narrower, transparent wings.

Dragonflies have been known to fly 50 to 60 miles an hour. They are so swift they can escape from birds. Large compound eyes, which look like beads, give the dragonfly excellent vision.