Flight season: mid-June to mid-September.
Population: common at this marsh,
infrequently encountered at the Moira River (near the dam in Tweed), and the Stoco Fen.
Length: about 40 mm. Often found in the same habitat as the Northern Spreadwing (Lestes disjunctus).
The mature males of this species usually exhibit more pruinosity on the terminal abdominal segments (S8, S9 and S10) and thorax than male
Northern Spreadwings,
however, examination of the cerci is the most reliable means of separating the two damselflies.
Female Sweetflag Spreadwings have a very large, dark rimmed-ovipositor (compare to the ovipositor of the Northern Spreadwing).
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Tweed, Ontario, about ½ km west of town, a marsh bordering the trans-Canada Trail:
typical local marsh with Cattails, sedges and other emergent vegetation, various small willows, alders, dogwoods and some Tamarack.
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Male Sweetflag Spreadwing (Lestes forcipatus)
July 04, 2010
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Terminalia of the male depicted above – looking at the cerci, the basal tooth is considerably larger than the distal tooth,
with a relatively large gap between the teeth (compare to the cerci of the Northern Spreadwing).
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Another male Sweetflag Spreadwing (Lestes forcipatus) and views of its claspers
(July 14, 2010).
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Teneral female Sweetflag Spreadwing (Lestes forcipatus)
July 10, 2014
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Sweetflag Spreadwing (Lestes forcipatus), wheel
July 18, 2010
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A closer look at the male's claspers in action.
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Four tandem pairs of Sweetflag Spreadwings ovipositing on a Cattail; one pair was spooked and can be seen taking flight in the background to the right (July 01, 2012).
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Sweetflag Spreadwing (Lestes forcipatus), tandem
July 01, 2012
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Compare the ovipositors of the females depicted above to the much less prominent ovipositor of the female Northern Spreadwing.
Sweetflag Spreadwing females are white on the side of the thorax, whereas Northern Spreadwing females are distinctly yellow.
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