Species Spotlight: Easter Amberwing

In Arizona, we often see Mexican Amberwings. These are small, orangish dragonflies that probably gain some protection from predation by looking and acting like wasps. On the east coast, we see another species of amberwing—the Eastern Amberwing. It looks much the same as the Mexican Amberwing, and has similar habits.

We saw several Eastern Amberwings on our trip back east this spring. Here's a male that we saw at our hotel near Boston, MA:



Notice the orangish (waspish) color, and the body that is rather short and stocky for a dragonfly. Notice also the light spot on the side of the thorax.

Male amberwings patrol their territory, looking for suitable egg-laying locations. After mating with a female, males lead her to the chosen egg-laying site, where the males dip—as if they were laying eggs—to induce the female to lay eggs. The female may or may not find the site suitable; if she does, she will begin to lay eggs there.

Here's the female Eastern Amberwing:



Notice the darker, less prominent color of the female, the light spot on the side of the thorax, and the splotchy spots in the wings. Females perch away from the water, where they blend into the vegetation, until they are ready to lay eggs.

P. S. My field guide, Common Dragonflies and Damselflies of the Pacific Coast, has been hard for Amazon to keep in stock—it keeps selling out faster than they can get new books in the inventory. It's back in stock now, and is available for a particularly good price, at the following link:

Field Guide