July 25 Slender Spreadwing Soiree

After a very successful work party this morning clearing invasive shrubs at the Arboretum, about a dozen of us team leaders went in search of dragonflies at Teal Pond. We saw plenty of twelve-spotted skimmers, both perching and buzzing the lake, and male and female white-faced meadowhawks soaking up the sun close to shore. We were just about to head to the marsh when we noticed this pair of damselflies hanging off the cattails. While they look an awful lot like dragonflies, one key difference is that the wings are only spread to a 45 degree angle, not straight across like a dragonfly at rest. Most damselflies hold their wings over their back at rest, except for the spreadwing family. These are slender spreadwings (Lestes rectangularis) with long abdomen, big bright blue eyes, and a disconnected yellow stripe across the back. So what's going on here? The male has four appendages at the end of his tail that he will grasp the female with at her mesothoracic plates. This is a courting stage, and she is deciding whether he is worth copulating with, by the feel and size of those four appendages. If she says yes, she will signal with a bend and then curve here abdomen up to his second abdominal to receive sperm. That move is called the wheel position. The male will then accompany her to lay the eggs either into a plant stem or directly into the water. An exciting dance for sure, head to your nearest small body of water to see damsels and dragons finding summer romance.