Common Spreadwing

The Common Spreadwing belongs to the spreadwing family (Lestidae), a group of damselflies distinguished from most other damselflies by their habit of resting with wings partially spread rather than closed flat over the back. It is widespread across much of northern and central North America, including large portions of Canada and the northern United States.

Common Spreadwings are slender-bodied and often bronze or metallic green above with pale sides, and mature males can develop a bluish pruinose bloom on parts of the body. They are particularly well adapted to temporary and seasonal wetlands, including vernal ponds and marshes that dry up later in the season, since their eggs can withstand drying conditions and hatch once water returns.

As both nymphs and adults, Common Spreadwings are predators of small insects, and their tolerance for ephemeral wetlands allows them to occupy habitats unavailable to many other damselfly species, making them important early colonizers of seasonal ponds each spring.

• Slender damselfly with metallic bronze to green coloring on the top of the thorax and abdomen
• Pale tan, cream, or light green stripes on the sides of the thorax
• Mature males may show a pale blue-gray pruinose bloom on the thorax and near the abdomen tip
• Wings held open at a distinctive angle when perched, rather than closed together as in most other damselflies
• Eyes relatively large and set apart
• Lookalikes: other spreadwings (Lestes spp.) are very similar; details of the terminal abdominal appendages are often needed for certain identification, though habitat (temporary ponds) and general coloring help narrow the choice

Common Spreadwings favor still, often shallow or temporary wetlands, including vernal ponds, marshes, bogs, and the quiet edges of lakes, frequently with sedges, grasses, or shrubby vegetation nearby. They range widely across Canada and the northern half of the United States. Adults are typically seen from late spring through summer, often earlier in the season than many other damselflies since they can exploit temporary waters before they dry.

Adults perch on grasses, sedges, and shrubs near water with wings held open at an angle, a resting posture characteristic of the spreadwing family. They make short sallying flights to capture small flying insects. Nymphs live among submerged vegetation and debris in still water, where they ambush tiny aquatic invertebrates. The species' ability to exploit temporary wetlands, where eggs can survive dry periods before hatching, allows it to occupy habitats with fewer predators and competitors, playing a role as both predator and prey in seasonal wetland food webs.

The Common Spreadwing develops through incomplete metamorphosis with egg, aquatic nymph, and adult stages. Notably, females often lay eggs into plant stems above or at the waterline in late summer or fall, and the eggs may overwinter in a dormant state, sometimes surviving the pond drying out entirely, before hatching the following spring when water returns. Nymphs then develop rapidly in the temporary pond, feeding on small aquatic invertebrates and molting repeatedly before emerging as adults, often completing development quickly to escape before the water dries again. This adaptation to ephemeral habitats is a hallmark of the spreadwing family and allows the Common Spreadwing to occupy seasonal wetlands unavailable to many other odonates.