The Black Saddlebags is an easily identified skimmer. Mature males are mostly black with large black wing patches on the hind wings. Females and teneral males have similar wing patches but have lighter faces and thorax and distinctive yellow tops spots on the top of the abdomen
The Black Saddlebags is fairly migratory in Minnesota, with adults coming from the south in early summer and their offspring emerging in late summer and heading south. They can often be seen hawking with darners, gliders and other saddlebags especially in the late summer.
Marshy lakes, ponds and slow moving streams with a lot of aquatic vegetation. Sometimes also temporary pools.
Typically lay eggs while flying in tandem. Pair fly low above the water. Then the male releases the female who flies down to the water and dips her abdomen once releasing the eggs and as se flies back up the male grabs here in tandem again, ensuring that she can not mate with another male. Rarely females will oviposit on their own
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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.