Eastern Pondhawk Erythemis simplicicollis

Photo of Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis)

(c) Laura Gaudette, some rights reserved (CC BY)

OrderDragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata)
FamilySkimmers (Libellulidae)
GenusPondhawks (Erythemis)

Talk about a gender-reveal that nobody asked for! The females and males are so strikingly different that early naturalists sometimes classified them as separate species. The guys show off with brilliant blue abdomens and green faces, while females rock bright green bodies with distinctive banded abdomens.

Both are pond hunters across the eastern US and Canada, but you'd never know they're the same species just by looking.

Think you can identify this one in the wild?

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