The Common Baskettail is a drab looking Emerald that is mostly dark with red and grey or green eyes and yellow spots running down the abdomen. Most Common Baskettails have large triangular patches at the base of the hindwing although there is a small percentage that do not exhibit this field mark
Males patrol over the water and along the shoreline in territorial flights of up to about 30 feet, stopping often, for a few seconds, to hover. Feeding often takes place in swarms usually around head height and above
Marshy ponds and lakes, also mucky pools in slow moving streams
Mating occurs in flight. Females produce eggs which accumulate on the end of their abdomen, like a tiny basket, while the female looks for a suitable location to oviposit. She will look for a location with aquatic vegetation, often floating on the water, where she will dip her abdomen in and release the 'basket' of eggs which become long strings in the water. Often more than one female will oviposit in the same location
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Range maps and checklists courtesy of Odonata Central. Copyright © 2016 OdonataCentral. All Rights Reserved. Abbott, J.C. 2006-2018. OdonataCentral: An online resource for the distribution and identification of Odonata. Available at www.odonatacentral.org.