Striped Meadowhawk

Sympetrum pallipes

The Striped Meadowhawk is a colorful dragonfly with bright red and yellow stripes. They love to fly around sunny meadows and ponds, catching tiny bugs to eat.

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Striped Meadowhawk has a reddish-brown body (males are often bright red) with pale yellow or white stripes on its legs, which give it its name. Its wings are clear, sometimes with a yellowish tint near the base, and feature a pale spot near the wingtip.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumArthropodaClassInsectaOrderOdonataFamilyLibellulidaeGenusSympetrum

Striped Meadowhawk

Interesting facts

A meadowhawk's wings can beat 30 times a second!

Baby meadowhawks live underwater for months or even years!

Dragonflies have been flying for over 300 million years!

They catch 95% of the prey they hunt – super hunters!

Special abilities

Striped Meadowhawk has enormous compound eyes that give them nearly 360-degree vision, helping them spot tiny prey and predators.

Striped Meadowhawk can fly forwards, backward, and hover due to independently moving wings, helping them catch prey mid-air.

Striped Meadowhawk nymphs live underwater for months, breathing with gills, before transforming into winged adults.

Measurements & details

Wingspan: 45-75 mm
Size: 30-45 mm
Lifespan: 30-60 days
Flight Speed: 20 km/h
Leg Count: 6

Diet & Feeding

Tiny flying insects are their favorite meal, caught right out of the air!

Age differences: Nymphs hunt aquatic larvae; adults feast on flying insects.

Primary Foods

Mosquitoes
Gnats
Flies
Midges
Small moths

Foraging Method

Pursuit

Ecological connections

hunts

Common house mosquito

Culex pipiens

Adults hunt these flying insects.

eaten by

American bullfrog

Rana catesbeiana

Both nymphs and adults can be prey.

eaten by

Yellow perch

Perca flavescens

Fish often prey on the aquatic nymphs.

Traits

Striped

Marked with parallel bands or lines of color.

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.