Identification

Field Marks

• Average adult size is approximately from 1.7 to 2.0 inches
• Dark metallic green face with yellow sides and bright emerald eyes
• Thorax brown and metallic green with a single pale oval dot on the side that fades with age
• Pale ring separates abdominal segments 2 and 3
• Wings are short compared to other Somatochlora with a small brown patch at the base
• Long, slender black abdomen, which is about one and a half times as long as a wing
• Small brownish-yellow side spots on abdomen
• Forceps style claspers that angle inwards. Tips approach but do not touch
• Cerci angle down and come to a point

Field Marks

• Females eyes are red, turning bright emerald after maturity
• Wings may turn yellowish brown with age
• Terminal appendages are straight and longer than segments 9 and 10 combined
• The subgenital plate is yellow and scoop shaped. It hangs horizontally is about as long as segment 9

Behavior

Not usually found close to open water Delicate Emerald males patrol 3 to 4 feet over grasses, sedges and brush, often stopping to hover. They frequently join mixed species swarms to hunt flying insects over roads, trails, and other open edges. This is a rare species in Minnesota and Wisconsin

Habitat

Spring-fed mossy and sedge-filled fens.

Reproduction

Females lay eggs by dipping their abdomen at an angle into wet moss or tiny pools, often filled with vegetation