BAND-WINGED MEADOWHAWK

BAND-WINGED MEADOWHAWK

Sympetrum semicinctum
SKIMMER FAMILY (Libellulidae)

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This meadowhawk is approximately 1.5 inches or 37 mm in length. The male Band-winged Meadowhawk has red eyes and a reddish-brown face. The thorax is reddish-brown. The abdomen is bright red with a narrow black stripe along the sides. The wings have conspicuous orange-brown patches at the base with the distal portion being a darker brown. The female is duller with brown on the front of the thorax and yellow on the sides with black lines. The abdomen is yellowish with black lines along the sides. Older females have red on top of the abdomen. The wing patches are not as prominent as the patches of the male. The legs are black in both sexes.

 

These are uncommon meadowhawks in our area. Their flight period is from mid-July through fall. They are more common in some years than others.

 

The Band-winged Meadowhawk is the only meadowhawk in our area that has distinctive large orange-brown patches in the wings. Males and females oviposit in tandem in shallow open water usually among vegetation. These dragonflies are often seen away from water in grassy meadows. They often perch higher than other meadowhawks.

 

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