This is a medium-sized dragonfly approximately 1 1/2 inches or 37 mm in length. The male has a brown thorax with pale yellow to white stripes. The abdomen is a mosaic of black, red and silver spots and stripes. The female is similar except that she has yellow, silver and black spots on the abdomen. The eyes are brown to reddish brown. The wings are clear with a thin, reddish edge and two-toned yellow and red stigmas (see (6). This dragonfly is the easiest meadowhawk to identify because of the showy abdominal markings.
This is a common meadowhawk that can be seen early in the spring in April and then again in the fall, usually in October. It can be seen anywhere in Fontenelle Forest and Neale Woods.
This dragonfly perches horizontally on the ground or low vegetation. The female lays eggs while flying in tandem with the male. This species is known to be migratory with large numbers seen occasionally along the Pacific Coast. Some also move eastward to the Atlantic Coast and the Southeast in fall.
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