Species Insects & ArthropodsEastern Pondhawk

Eastern Pondhawk

Erythemis simplicicollis

CommonInsect & Arthropod
Illustration of Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis)

The Eastern Pondhawk is a medium-sized dragonfly where males are brilliant sky-blue with a green face and females and immatures are bright green with black abdominal segments — the sexes are so different they appear to be separate species. It is highly aggressive, readily tackling dragonflies larger than itself. It perches flat on bare ground or lily pads.

Habitat
Ponds, lakes, marshes, and slow streams throughout the East
Diet
Adults: large flying insects including other dragonflies. Nymphs: aquatic invertebrates
How common
Common

Best time to see a Eastern Pondhawk

The best time to see a Eastern Pondhawk is June–August, when about 64% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 128,439 research-grade iNaturalist observations.

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Not certain it is a Eastern Pondhawk? What bug is this? walks through what to check first and the lookalikes that catch people out.

Recent Eastern Pondhawk sightings near you

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