Dragonflies are easy to catch. You just have to see one sitting on a plant/etc with it's wings straight up. Just grab the wings.
PotatoSan
Actually, they are easier to catch, but only if you have a LOT of patience.
Regular houseflies are a lot easier to grab out of the air. Try grabbing a dragonfly out of the air and its IMPOSSIBLE.
But yeah, when dragonflies land, it's very easy to catch them. the only thing is, they are way too fast for you, so you pretty much have to have your hands around them before you ever grab them. This requires a LOT of patience. Because dragonflies have EXCELLENT eyesight, but they have one flaw...they primarily are evolved to see moving objects. From the dragonfly's point of view, anything that is moving is either a predator or prey. Anything not moving is something that it can sit on.
The key to catching dragonflies is to make yourself look like a tree. You creep up on it VERY slowly, so slowly that it doesn't even notice that you're moving. And it'll still SEE you, but you're moving so slowly that it just doesn't register in the dragonfly's mind that you're sneaking up on it. Eventually you have your hands cupped around it, and it still doesn't "see" you since you're moving too slow for it to detect your motion. Then, once you get right up on it, that's when you pounce. Thedragonfly tries to get away, but it's too late, since you already practically have it in your hands.
Anyway, I don't think you're thinking about dragonflies, because dragonflies don't put their wings straight up. You're probably thinking of damselflies.
Dragonfly: ![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/03/Sympetrum_flaveolum_-_side_%28aka%29.jpg/800px-Sympetrum_flaveolum_-_side_%28aka%29.jpg)
Damselfly:
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/20/DamselflyATH500.jpg/800px-DamselflyATH500.jpg)
Also, damselflies are a LOT easier to catch than dragonflies. Dragonflies can be hard as hell to catch. It really depends on the species. While some species of dragonflies can be easy to catch with your bare hands if you're REALLY patient, there are some species of dragonfly that I've never been able to catch even using a 10 foot long butterfly net. There's really that much variation between species. There are some species of dragonfly with such excellent vision that it's literally impossible for a human being to sneak up on them and catch them.
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