The Spiny Baskettail is a drab looking Emerald that is mostly dark with red and grey eyes that turn green or blue with maturity and yellow spots running down the abdomen. It is difficult to distinguish between most species of Baskettails unless you have the specimen in hand
Spiny Baskettails often emerge in mass with hundreds or perhaps thousands emerging and perching on trees and vegetation. They often feed in large swarms
Prefer slow moving acidic water such as found in marshy lakes, ponds and slow streams
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 short egg 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.