Skimmers
Family Libellulidae
Genus Sympetrum
Autumn Meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum)



Flight season: the last odonate of the season this area. Adults start to appear in late July, and the last fliers can persist into mid-November if the weather permits.

Population: common. Look for this dragonfly near ponds, marshes, lakes and slow flowing stretches of rivers. Often forages a fair distance from water.

Length: about 30 mm. The average Autumn Meadowhawk is smaller and more gracile than other local Sympetrum species. The legs help separate this dragonfly from its relatives – they are yellow, or brown in older individuals, but never black.


Tweed, Ontario, the Moira River, near the walking bridge and dam: rock-bottomed river with fast flowing water, rapids and emergent rocks, but also quiet pools and backwaters. The shoreline vegetation is mostly trees with a few small clearings supporting tall grasses and wildflowers.
Male Autumn Meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum)
September 20, 2009

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Male Autumn Meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum) – there are few or no black markings along the sides of the abdomen (September 19, 2009).

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Female Autumn Meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum) – easily separated from other Sympetrum females by its prominent triangular ovipositor. Also note that the first few segments of the abdomen are conspicuously larger than the following segments, imparting a bulbous appearance to the body (September 19, 2009).

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Immature male Autumn Meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum) – both young males and females start their adult lives a yellowish-orange color (September 20, 2009).

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Autumn Meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum), wheel
September 10, 2009

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Autumn Meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum) – a closer look at the male's claspers as they grip the female (September 01, 2009).


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.
Female Autumn Meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum)
August 26, 2008

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Immature male Autumn Meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum) and a closeup of its hamules (July 24, 2014).