These are not open ponds. They are acidic, peaty, slow-flowing channels of water hidden deep under dense canopy. The water is cool, clean, and rich in oxygen—and vanishingly rare. The true “ogre” nature emerges in its juvenile stage. Most dragonfly nymphs (naiads) are aquatic sprawlers that hide among plants. Not this one.
(often called "hanging swamps" or "soaks"). ogre darner dragonfly
This larval stage is extraordinarily long: (or possibly more). It’s a slow, patient, underground existence. Adult Behavior After half a decade underground, the mature nymph crawls out at night, climbs a fern or sedge, and emerges as an adult. The adult life, by contrast, is short—perhaps a few weeks to a month. These are not open ponds