Spotted Spreadwing

Lestes congener

Unlike most damselflies that fold their wings vertically over their backs, spreadwings keep them open at a 45-degree angle when resting.

Scientific name: Lestes congener
Taxonomy: Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Odonata › Lestidae › Lestes
IUCN Red List status: Least Concern
Population trend: stable
Biome: wetland
Habitat: Stagnant ponds, marshes, slow-moving streams, and adjacent wet meadows or grassy fields.
Diet: Carnivorous, preying on small flying insects such as mosquitoes, gnats, and midges.
Range: United States, Canada
Size: 35 to 42 mm in length with a slender abdomen.
Lifespan: 1 to 2 months as an adult; up to 1 year including the aquatic nymph stage.
Active: diurnal
Threats: Habitat loss due to wetland drainage and water pollution from pesticide runoff.
Safe to approach?: Completely harmless to humans. These damselflies do not bite or sting. Observe their resting posture from a distance; if they land on you, do not swat, as their wings and limbs are extremely fragile.

Lestes congener is a species of damselfly in the family Lestidae, the spreadwings. It is known by the common name spotted spreadwing .

Photo: Nick Block, CC-BY, via iNaturalist