Flight season: late May to late September.
Population: common and widespread.
Found at still water habitats such as marshes, ponds and slow flowing stretches of rivers,
often encountered along the marshy north shore of Stoco Lake.
Prefers much the same as conditions as, and generally seen flying with, Widow and Slaty Skimmers.
Forages in fields a fair distance from water.
Length: about 45 mm to 50 mm.
Females and immature males are distinguished from female Common Whitetails
by the markings on their respective abdomens (see notes below).
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Tweed, Ontario, the north shore Stoco Lake, east of the boat pier:
marshy shoreline, relatively shallow water with mud bottom supporting sedges and rushes, pondweeds, Fragrant Water Lily, Blue Flag, Sagittaria spp and Pickerelweed.
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Male Twelve-spotted Skimmer (Libellula pulchella)
August 07, 2009
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Tweed Fairgrounds:
meadows bordered by tall grasses, wildflowers and trees.
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Immature male Twelve-spotted Skimmer (Libellula pulchella) –
a young individual that hasn't developed any
pruinosity on its abdomen (September 24, 2014).
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Border of the Tweed Soccer Field:
a meadow bordered by tall grasses and wildflowers, with a woodland stream to the east.
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Male Twelve-spotted Skimmer (Libellula pulchella)
September 14, 2014
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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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Teneral male Twelve-spotted Skimmer (Libellula pulchella)
August 07, 2014
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Female Twelve-spotted Skimmer (Libellula pulchella) –
the dark patterning on the wings is very similar to that of female Common Whitetails.
However, female and immature male Twelve-spotted Skimmers have a continuous pale yellow stripe their abdomens.
Compare to the white dots edged with contrasting black of the female
Common Whitetail
(August 19, 2008).
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Tweed, Ontario, along the trans-Canada Trail about 2 km east of town:
woodland with sunlit open spaces created by the trail,
Stoco Lake is not far to the south.
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Female Twelve-spotted Skimmer (Libellula pulchella)
June 15, 2011
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