Amanda's Pennant

Celithemis amanda

Amanda's Pennant is a beautiful dragonfly with bright colors. It flits around ponds and streams, showing off its lovely wings. Watching them is like seeing a tiny rainbow in the air!

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Amanda's Pennant is a small to medium-sized dragonfly with a striking appearance. Males display a reddish-orange body with distinct amber-colored patches at the base of their wings, while females are typically yellower. Both sexes have clear wingtips and a relatively stout body compared to many other dragonflies.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumArthropodaClassInsectaOrderOdonataFamilyLibellulidaeGenusCelithemis

Amanda's Pennant

Interesting facts

Did you know dragonfly nymphs live underwater for years before they become adults? Wow!

Dragonflies shed their skin many times as they grow, leaving behind ghostly exuviae like a snake!

Their huge eyes have thousands of tiny lenses, helping them spot small bugs from far away!

Young Amanda's Pennants breathe underwater using gills located inside their bottom! Super cool!

Special abilities

Amanda's Pennant can fly forward, backward, and hover perfectly, allowing them to catch prey with incredible agility.

Amanda's Pennant has huge compound eyes that let them see almost 360 degrees, helping them spot even tiny, fast-moving insects.

As a nymph, Amanda's Pennant can patiently wait underwater, ambushing tiny aquatic creatures that swim too close.

Amanda's Pennant can adjust its body angle to absorb more sun or point its tail at the sun to stay cool on hot days.

Measurements & details

Wingspan: 45-70 mm
Size: 30-45 mm
Lifespan: 30-60 days
Flight Speed: 20 km/h
Leg Count: 6

Diet & Feeding

These aerial hunters munch on smaller flying insects they expertly catch mid-air!

Age differences: Nymphs hunt aquatic invertebrates and small fish/tadpoles underwater, while adults hunt flying insects in the air.

Primary Foods

mosquitoes
gnats
flies
midges
small moths

Foraging Method

Pursuit

Ecological connections

eaten by

Eastern Kingbird

Tyrannus tyrannus

Adult dragonflies are a food source for these birds.

eaten by

American Bullfrog

Lithobates catesbeianus

Bullfrogs prey on adult dragonflies near water.

hunts

Yellow Fever Mosquito

Aedes aegypti

Adult dragonflies hunt mosquitoes, helping control populations.

hunts

Common Midge

Chironomus plumosus

Dragonflies are efficient predators of various midge species.

Traits

Solitary

Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care.

Aerial

Aerial creatures spend a significant portion of their lives airborne, utilizing flight for various activities such as hunting, migration, or nesting.

Colorful

Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.

Insectivorous

This trait identifies organisms whose diet primarily consists of insects and other small invertebrates.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.