A medium-sized dragonfly — males brilliant powdery blue, females and immatures bright apple green. They're fierce hunters that take prey as large as butterflies and other dragonflies.

Also called: Common Pondhawk

Native status: Native to eastern North America

§ Quick facts

SizeBody length 4–4.5 cm; wingspan 6.5–7 cm
Weight~0.4 g
LifespanAdults 4–6 weeks; aquatic larvae 1–3 years
OrderOdonata
FamilyLibellulidae

§ Encyclopedia

Erythemis simplicicollis, the eastern pondhawk, also known as the common pondhawk, is a dragonfly of the family Libellulidae, native to the eastern two-thirds of the United States and southern Ontario and Quebec, Canada. It is a dragonfly of ponds and still waters. The species is distinguished in that the female is bright green with a banded abdomen and the mature male has a blue abdomen with a green face and green and blue thorax.

Source: Wikipedia — Erythemis simplicicollis Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

§ Identification

Field marks. Medium-sized dragonfly. Males: brilliant powder-blue body with green face. Females and immature males: green body with dark wedge-shaped markings on abdomen.

Similar species. Other "Eastern Pondhawk" subspecies and similar Erythemis species (different sizes, ranges). Blue Dasher (different markings).

Voice. N/A

§ Diet & behavior

Diet. Adults: small flying insects (mosquitoes, midges, gnats, small moths). Larvae: aquatic invertebrates, tadpoles, small fish.

Behavior. Among the most common pond dragonflies in eastern North America. Males defend small territories around floating leaves and sticks; females search for males then mate quickly before depositing eggs. Larvae are voracious aquatic predators with extendable lower lip that fires forward to capture prey. Recently demonstrated to be among the most successful predators on Earth — dragonflies catch 95% of targeted prey during hunts (vs. ~25% for lions, ~50% for sharks).

§ Range

Eastern and central US

§ Habitat

Pond and lake edges, slow streams

§ Threats

Wetland loss, pesticides reducing prey, light pollution disrupting evening flights.

§ Conservation status

According to the IUCN Red List, the eastern pondhawk is currently classified as Least Concern.

§ What helps

Build a backyard pond. Maintain natural shoreline vegetation. Skip pesticides.

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§ Further reading

§ Sources cited

  • Odonata Central
  • Xerces Society
  • iNaturalist