The Widow Skimmer is a medium sized King Skimmer that is easily recognized by the large patches at the base of the wings. Females are yellow and black with black wing patches that cover about a third of the wings. Males are blue-grey with black and white patches that cover about half of the wings
Commonly found away from water perched on bushes or other vegetation in fields or along the side of the road.
Lakes, ponds, marshes and slow streams. Typically with muddy bottoms and plenty of vegetation.
Where populations are dense males vie for dominance, with dominant male doing most of the mating. In sparser populations males patrol a territory near the water looking for females. Females lay eggs by dipping abdomen in the water. Females lay eggs alone or sometimes male will hover guard.
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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.