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Band-Winged Meadowhawk
Scientific Name:
Sympetrum semicinctum
Type:
Invertebrate
Habitat:
Grassy meadows, ponds with abundant emergent vegetation
Range:
Throughout the United States and southern Canada
Status:
Least Concern (IUCN Red List)
This species is
NATIVE
to the Truckee Meadows.
Identification:
Male band-winged meadowhawks are orange-red with a rusty colored patch on the wings close to the thorax. Females are muted in color with transparent wings. Body length can be between 1 and 1.5 inches, and wingspan is up to 2.5 inches.
Fast Facts:
The genus name, Sympetrum, means “with rocks.” Meadowhawks can often be found warming up on rocks.
They tend to fly high, up to 30 feet, and often in pairs.
Band-winged meadowhawks have been taxonomically classified with western meadowhawks and there is still discussion as to whether these are two separate species.
According to iNaturalist, observed at Rancho San Rafael Regional Park, Manzanita Lake at UNR, Crystal Lake Park, Lazy 5 Regional Park and Palomino Park Site.
Sources:
Berger, Cynthia. Wild Guide: Dragonflies. Stackpole Books. Mechanicsburg, PA. 2004.
Manolis, Tim. Drangonflies and Damselflies of California. University of California Press. Berkeley, CA. 2003.
Paulson, Dennis. Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West. Princeton University Press. Princeton, NJ. 2009.
Image: Jerry Friedman, https://www.flickr.com/photos/10904042@N04/19905309074/, license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/, cropped from original.
Contributor(s):
Marianne Denton (research & content)
Alex Shahbazi (edits & page design)