# Blue-faced Meadowhawk

*Sympetrum ambiguum*

While most North American meadowhawk dragonflies have red or brown faces to match their bodies, this species is easily identified by its contrasting blue-green face.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Odonata › Libellulidae › Sympetrum
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** wetland
- **Habitat:** Wooded swamps, shaded floodplain pools, vernal woodland ponds, and adjacent forest edges
- **Diet:** Carnivorous; hunts small flying insects such as mosquitoes, gnats, flies, and small moths on the wing
- **Range:** Eastern United States, Midwestern United States, Southern United States
- **Size:** Total body length 33–39 mm with a wingspan of 50–60 mm
- **Lifespan:** up to 1 yr
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Drainage and clearing of forested wetlands, loss of vernal pools, water pollution, and broad-spectrum pesticide runoff
- **Safe to approach?:** This species is completely harmless to humans. It does not sting and possesses no venom. If caught by hand, a large adult may give a weak, non-venomous pinch that rarely breaks the skin. No special precautions or medical treatments are necessary.

## About

Sympetrum ambiguum , the blue-faced meadowhawk , is a dragonfly of the family Libellulidae.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/d3ee334b-3716-4898-98c7-e70933e9aac5
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/113498
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sympetrum ambiguum
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/8492300/medium.jpg (rasamoto, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.