Swamp Spreadwing

Lestes vigilax

The Swamp Spreadwing is a beautiful dragonfly that loves to flutter around wetlands. With its long, slender body and colorful wings, it dances in the air, making it a joy to watch!

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Swamp Spreadwing is a slender damselfly, often exhibiting a metallic green or bronze body. Males can develop powdery blue markings on their thorax and tail end as they age. Its clear wings are held distinctively spread at an angle when it rests, a key identifier for this group.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumArthropodaClassInsectaOrderOdonataFamilyLestidaeGenusLestes

Swamp Spreadwing

Interesting facts

A Swamp Spreadwing starts life underwater, transforming from a larva to a flying adult!

Look closely at their legs; they're spiky to help them grab onto slippery flying prey!

Males will often guard their territory, chasing away other damselflies who get too close.

They are ancient insects, with relatives that lived alongside dinosaurs millions of years ago.

Special abilities

Swamp Spreadwing holds its wings open at rest, which helps them quickly warm up in the sun or cool down in the shade.

Swamp Spreadwing has huge compound eyes that help them spot tiny flying insects for a meal while zipping through the air.

Swamp Spreadwing starts life as a naiad that breathes underwater using special gills, helping it hunt tiny aquatic creatures.

Measurements & details

Wingspan: 45-55 mm
Size: 35-45 mm
Lifespan: 30-60 days
Flight Speed: 15 km/h
Leg Count: 6

Diet & Feeding

They are fierce insect hunters, catching tiny flying prey with impressive aerial maneuvers!

Age differences: Larvae (naiads) hunt aquatic invertebrates; adults hunt flying insects.

Primary Foods

mosquitoes
gnats
small flies
midges

Foraging Method

Pursuit

Ecological connections

hunts

Common House Mosquito

Culex pipiens

Adults prey on this common pest, helping control populations.

hunts

Lake Midge

Chironomus plumosus

Adults actively catch midges, a common food source, while flying.

eaten by

American Bullfrog

Rana catesbeiana

Adult damselflies can become a meal for this large, hungry amphibian.

eaten by

Mosquitofish

Gambusia affinis

Their aquatic naiads are a food source for fish like the mosquitofish.

depends on

Common Cattail

Typha latifolia

They use cattails for perching, hunting from, and laying their eggs on.

Traits

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.

Pollinator Magnet

Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.

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.