# Bluets (*Enallagma*) Bluets are tiny, colorful dragonflies that love to flutter around ponds and streams. They have beautiful blue bodies and delicate wings that sparkle in the sunlight. - **Category:** [Insects](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/insect) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Habitat:** Wetlands ![Bluets](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Common_Blue_Damselfly.jpg&width=800) Photo: Andreas Trepte, CC BY-SA 2.5 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Common_Blue_Damselfly.jpg) ## Appearance The Bluets is a slender damselfly, often brilliantly colored with patterns of bright blue and black along its body and abdomen. Unlike dragonflies, it holds its two pairs of clear wings together over its back when resting, giving it a delicate, needle-like appearance. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Arthropoda - **Class:** Insecta - **Order:** Odonata - **Family:** Coenagrionidae - **Genus:** Enallagma ## Interesting facts - Baby Bluets, called nymphs, live underwater for months or even years before transforming into adults! - Bluets have huge compound eyes that see almost all around them at once! - Many Bluet species have distinct black markings on their blue tails, helping scientists tell them apart! - When a Bluet lands, it often holds its wings folded together, unlike a dragonfly that spreads them flat. ## Special abilities - **Acrobatic Hunter:** Bluets can fly with incredible agility and speed because of their strong wings and keen eyesight, that helps them snatch tiny insects right out of the air. - **Underwater Breath-er:** Bluets has special external gills called caudal lamellae as larvae, that helps them breathe underwater while they hunt smaller aquatic creatures. - **Tandem Traveler:** Bluets can fly connected to a mate in a unique 'tandem' position, which helps them defend their partner and lay eggs safely. ## Measurements & details - **Wingspan:** 25-50 mm - **Size:** 20-40 mm - **Lifespan:** 14-42 days - **Flight Speed:** 10 km/h - **Leg Count:** 6 ## Diet & Feeding Bluets are aerial insect hunters, snatching small flying bugs mid-air. - **Age differences:** Larvae (nymphs) are aquatic predators, eating small invertebrates; adults hunt flying insects. - **Primary Foods:** mosquitoes, gnats, small flies, midges - **Foraging Method:** Pursuit ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** [Largemouth Bass](https://www.snappit.app/explore/largemouth-bass) (*Micropterus salmoides*) — Larval Bluets are a food source for freshwater fish. - **Eaten by:** [Eastern Kingbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-kingbird) (*Tyrannus tyrannus*) — Adult Bluets are prey for various insect-eating birds. - **Hunts:** Common House Mosquito (*Culex pipiens*) — Adult Bluets actively hunt and consume mosquitoes. - **Hunts:** Non-biting Midge (*Chironomus plumosus*) — Bluets prey on various small aquatic midges. ## Traits - [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring. - [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. - [Miniature](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/miniature): Pertaining to species that are significantly smaller than typical or average for their kind. - [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 Always watch where you step near water to keep both you and the insects safe. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Bluets? 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 Bluets's wingspan? 25-50 mm ### How big is Bluets? 20-40 mm ### How long does Bluets live? 14-42 days ### How fast can Bluets fly? 10 km/h ### What does Bluets eat? Bluets are aerial insect hunters, snatching small flying bugs mid-air. ### Where is Bluets usually found? Wetlands ### How does Bluets hunt? Pursuit ## Where to spot - [Parc de l'Amérique-Latine](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/parc-de-lam-rique-latine) — Quebec, CA · Park - [Saltery Bay Provincial Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/saltery-bay-provincial-park) — British Columbia, CA · State Park - [Craig Lake State Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/craig-lake-state-park) — Michigan, US · State Park [View all places to see Bluets](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/bluets) ## 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: [Bluets: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/bluets)