Identification
Small green, black and blue damselflies.
MALE: Thorax black above, with green shoulder stripes; pale green sides. Abdomen mostly black, with blue tip (on segments 8 & 9) and thin pale rings; black spots on sides of blue tip. Eyes dark above, greenish below, with small green eyespots.
FEMALE: Mature females
powdery grayish-blue throughout, with black markings absent or obscured; eyespots pale blue. Immature female
thorax bright orange with black dorsal and shoulder stripes; abdomen orange at base and
black above, with no blue or orange at tip; orange eyespots.
(1)Range
From the Atlantic coast to the Midwest U.S. From north of Florida to Southern Canada.
Habitat
A variety of wetlands, but most common at small well-vegetated ponds.
(1)See Also
Ishnura perparva, or the Western Forktail. Western and Eastern Forktails are virtually identical and best told by range.
(1) Print References
"Stokes Beginner's Guide to Dragonflies", pages 70-71
(1)Internet References
The Insects of Cedar Creek has info and photos of pinned adults.
Raphael Carter's Home Page has a nice article on
I. verticalis complete with several photos.
Gloria Mundi Press has photos of adults as well as scanned specimens.
