This small meadowhawk is approximately 1 1/4 inches or 32 mm in length. Adult males and females are both red on the eyes and abdomen. The abdomen lacks the prominent black triangles of other similar meadowhawks. The face is pale. The wings are clear with orange-red stigmas. The lower legs are yellowish. Immature males and females are yellow-orange. The female is separated from other meadowhawk females by a conspicuous small spout on the underside of the abdomen (near the end) which is used for egg laying.
This is a fairly common dragonfly in Fontenelle Forest and Neale Woods in late summer through fall. It is often the last meadowhawk flying.
This was formerly called Yellow-legged Meadowhawk. The females lay eggs (in tandem with the male) alternately on the surface of the water and the shore. The eggs overwinter and hatch during high water the next spring.
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