# Blue Featherleg (*Platycnemis pennipes*) The Blue Featherleg is a pretty dragonfly with bright blue legs and a shiny body. It loves to fly around near water and is often seen resting on plants. - **Category:** [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/insect) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Habitat:** Wetlands ![Blue Featherleg](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Platycnemis_pennipes_%28male%29_%282%29.JPG&width=800) Photo: Philipp Weigell, CC BY 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Platycnemis_pennipes_%28male%29_%282%29.JPG) ## Appearance The Blue Featherleg is a striking insect, often featuring a bright sky-blue body for males and duller tones for females. It has distinctly widened, flattened white lower leg segments on its middle and hind legs, giving it a unique 'feathered' appearance. This damselfly typically holds its two pairs of clear wings together over its back when at rest. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Arthropoda - **Class:** Insecta - **Order:** Odonata - **Family:** Platycnemididae - **Genus:** Platycnemis ## Interesting facts - Blue Featherlegs can fly backwards and sideways, not just forwards! - Males have special white 'feathered' legs they show off to attract a mate! - Their amazing eyes have thousands of tiny lenses, helping them see almost all around them! - Their babies (nymphs) live in water and breathe with gills, like fish! ## Special abilities - **Feathered Signal:** Blue Featherleg has uniquely widened, white lower leg segments that help them signal to mates and rivals. - **Watery Childhood:** Blue Featherleg can spend years as a gill-breathing nymph underwater, helping them develop safely before flying. - **Insect Interceptor:** Blue Featherleg can fly with incredible agility, catching tiny flying insects mid-air that helps them find food. - **Sharp Sight:** Blue Featherleg has enormous compound eyes that help them spot tiny prey and avoid predators from almost any angle. ## Measurements & details - **Wingspan:** 45-60 mm - **Size:** 35-40 mm - **Lifespan:** 30-60 days - **Flight Speed:** 10 km/h - **Leg Count:** 6 ## Diet & Feeding Tiny flying insects are the favorite meal of the adult Blue Featherleg, while their young hunt underwater. - **Age differences:** Nymphs hunt aquatic invertebrates underwater; adults catch flying insects in the air. - **Primary Foods:** mosquitoes, midges, small flies, mayflies - **Foraging Methods:** Pursuit, Ambush ## Ecological connections - **Eats:** Water flea (*Daphnia pulex*) — Nymphs prey on tiny zooplankton. - **Eats:** Common house mosquito (*Culex pipiens*) — Adults catch these flying insects. - **Eaten by:** Common frog (*Rana temporaria*) — Frogs can snatch them near water. - **Eaten by:** [Spotted Flycatcher](https://www.snappit.app/explore/spotted-flycatcher) (*Muscicapa striata*) — Birds hunt them in flight. ## Traits - [Solitary](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/solitary): Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care. - [Aerial](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aerial): Aerial creatures spend a significant portion of their lives airborne, utilizing flight for various activities such as hunting, migration, or nesting. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Insectivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/insectivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet primarily consists of insects and other small invertebrates. - [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/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. - [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night. - [Freshwater](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/freshwater): Freshwater habitats include non-saline aquatic environments such as rivers, lakes, ponds, and wetlands, vital for numerous species. - [Speedster](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/speedster): This trait identifies organisms that exhibit exceptional swiftness in movement for hunting, escape, or travel. - [Pollinator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator): Describes organisms that transfer pollen, enabling the fertilization and reproduction of plants. ## Collections - [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/insects) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Dragonflies are harmless and fun to watch, but don't try to catch them! ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Blue Featherleg? Compare wing shape and resting posture, where the eyes sit, body markings and the tail segments. Males and females can look very different in color. Dragonfly Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### What is Blue Featherleg's wingspan? 45-60 mm ### How big is Blue Featherleg? 35-40 mm ### How long does Blue Featherleg live? 30-60 days ### How fast can Blue Featherleg fly? 10 km/h ### What does Blue Featherleg eat? Tiny flying insects are the favorite meal of the adult Blue Featherleg, while their young hunt underwater. ### Where is Blue Featherleg usually found? Wetlands ### How does Blue Featherleg hunt? Pursuit and Ambush ## More Insects - [Common Eastern Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-eastern-bumble-bee) (*Bombus impatiens*) - [Spotted Lanternfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/spotted-lanternfly) (*Lycorma delicatula*) - [Brown-belted Bumble Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-belted-bumble-bee) (*Bombus griseocollis*) - [Eastern Carpenter Bee](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-carpenter-bee) (*Xylocopa virginica*) --- Source: [Blue Featherleg: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/blue-featherleg)