Sweetflag Spreadwing
(Lestes forcipatus)
The Sweetflag Spreadwing and the Common Spreadwings are said to be the most difficult of the Spreadwings to tell apart. In the field, where both were flying simultaneously, I had little problem distinguishing them in Central Wisconsin. This might not be true elsewhere because of regional differences, but here the Sweetflag Spreadwings rarely showed any greenish stripes, but instead were a solid dark color on the thorax that quickly became pruinescent with age. Occasional individuals did have some greenish/blue stripes, like the one in the second photo on the right, but the color and appearance readily seperated it from the Common Spreadwings that flew with it, although anatomical details of this species are still necessary to distinguish it for certainty. Older individuals also seem to show white on the entire 8th segment while younger ones like the one in the bottom right show more of a transparent dusting on this segment. Common Spreadwings, on the other hand, are usually white only on the sides of the 8th segment (see photos of the Common Spreadwings). All Sweetflag Spreadwings that I have observed in my hand or in photos have a single spot on the lower part of the thorax, similar to the Spotted spreadwing, but this is very difficult to see in the field with binoculars. The easiest way to verify that you have this species is to watch out for the females, which have an ovipositor that extends beyond the 10th segment. The female of this species lays eggs in plant tissue with the male still attached. On the bottom photo, an additional male is attached in sort of an insect version of manage a trois. This behavior was observed also with Amber-winged Spreadwings and one species of Bluet in 2003 and observed with Sweetflag Spreadwings again in 2004. (Note: I have yet to find the Southern Spreadwing in central Wisconsin so this may complicate things since I am not sure how the Southern actually compares in the field.)