The Saffron-winged Meadowhawk is 1.25 to 1.50 inches or 32 to 37 mm long. The mature male is all red on the abdomen with a thin black lateral line. The face is brownish-red and the eyes are dark red above, paler below. The thorax is mostly brown. The legs are blackish on top and yellowish underneath. The wings are clear with the veins on the leading edge being reddish. The stigmas are bright red with black borders on the top and bottom. The immature male and the female have yellow along the leading edge of the wings. The male loses the yellow coloration when it matures, but the female’s yellow coloration increases with age and may cover most of the hindwing in some individuals. The female has a dull yellow face and abdomen with a brown thorax. The stigma on the female’s wings is yellow bordered by black.
The frequency of occurrence for this meadowhawk is not known. It has been photographed once in late September in Fontenelle Forest in the wetlands around the Teaching Pond. These dragonflies can be seen around ponds, marshes and lakes with much emergent vegetation. They commonly perch on the ground.
Pairs of Saffron-winged Meadowhawks lay eggs in tandem usually over open water but sometimes on wet shore. Breeding habitat is more open than that used by other meadowhawks.
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