Field Marks

• Average adult size is approximately 1.9 inches
• Face is brown below and darker with a green tint on the frons
• Bright metallic green eyes
• Thorax is brown mixed with metallic green. No yellow side stripe
• Dark abdomen with a thin pale ring separating segments 2 and 3
• Abdomen widens on segments 5 to 8 making it look slightly clubbed
• Cerci curve slightly outward at the end
• Epiproct has a pair of upward spikes near the tip
• Cross vein in the forewing triangle dividing it in half

Field Marks

• Females are colored similar to males
• Abdomen does not taper near the thorax as much as in males
• Subgenital plates about half the length of segment nine
• Short terminal appendages

Behavior

Males patrol over open water or along the shoreline, alternating between flight and hovering and frequently changing the area patrolled. More active when temps are cooler. Often found early in the summer mixed in with Baskettails in feeding swarms. When not in flight they will hang vertically from sticks or perch horizontally on leaves

Habitat

Forested and boggy lakes and ponds, beaver ponds, fens and marshes

Reproduction

Mating lasts a while and usually takes place partially in flight. Females lay eggs by flying fast in a straight line and tapping their abdomen against the water every few feet, often among vegetation