Emerald Spreadwing
Lestes dryas
Unlike most damselflies that fold their wings tightly over their abdomen when resting, the Emerald Spreadwing holds its wings out at a distinctive 45-degree angle.
- Scientific name
- Lestes dryas
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Odonata › Lestidae › Lestes
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Temporary ponds, fens, marshes, and ditches with abundant emergent vegetation.
- Diet
- Adults eat small flying insects like mosquitoes, midges, and flies. Larvae prey on aquatic invertebrates and small tadpoles.
- Range
- North America, Europe, Northern Asia
- Size
- Wingspan of 35-45 mm; body length of 35-42 mm.
- Lifespan
- Up to 1 year (mostly spent as an aquatic nymph, with adults living for only 4 to 6 weeks).
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Loss of wetland habitats, agricultural runoff, water pollution, and climate-induced droughts that dry up breeding pools too early.
- Safe to approach?
- Completely harmless to humans. You can observe them from a very close distance as they perch on reeds. They do not bite or sting; if one lands on you, simply enjoy the close-up view of its iridescent coloration.
Lestes dryas is a species of damselfly in the family Lestidae, the spreadwings. Its common names include emerald spreadwing , scarce emerald damselfly and robust spreadwing . An alternate name in Ireland is the turlough spreadwing .
Photo: Laurel Meredyk, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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