Dragonflies (øyenstikker in Norwegian) are insects that live by lakes, ponds, streams, dams and wetlands (their larvae, known as ‘nymphs’, are aquatic). Adult dragonflies are often brightly coloured and have a long slim abdomen. They also have two pairs of long, slender transparent wings covered in net-like veins. The wings do not fold and are held outstretched when at rest.
There are 5,000 different species worldwide, and 45 different kinds of dragonflies in Norway – 39 of which you can find in the Halden municipality. Many of them are quite rare, and three are protected in Norway, because their habitat is threatened: these are the Dark Whiteface (Leucorrhinia albifrons), the Bulbous White-faced Darter (Leucorrhinia caudalis) and the Yellow-Spotted Whiteface (Leucorrhinia pectoralis).
In most cultures dragonflies have been objects of superstition, and European folklore is no exception. Different names referring to dragonflies as the devil occur in several languages, although it is worth noting they have also been connected with love and young women (the original fairies). An old Swedish name for dragonfly is blindsticka (‘blind stinger’) – it came from the belief that a dragonfly could pick out your eyes. In Norway, on the other hand, it was thought that the dragonfly could sew together your eyelids – hence the word øyenstikker.