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Sticker of Northern spreadwing
Bug card No. 3039 of 4,939

Northern spreadwing

Lestes disjunctus

The northern spreadwing is a slim damselfly from North America. It belongs to the spreadwings, a group of damselflies that often rest with their wings held partly open. It flutters around plants near the water.

Lives in
North America, near ponds and wetlands
Top speed
about 10 km/h (6.2 mph)
Flying, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. Damselflies have no sting, so you can just watch it.
What does it eat?
It catches small flying insects. Its babies live under water and hunt tiny water animals.
For real!Photo of Northern spreadwing
Picture by Reuven Martin. CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

Spreadwings often rest with their wings partly open, while most other damselflies fold them together along their back.

2

Experts checked on it in 2017 and found that there are plenty of them and their numbers are steady.

3

Its babies grow up under water before they climb out and get their wings.

you asked

Most asked questions about Northern spreadwing

?Is the northern spreadwing dangerous?

No. Damselflies have no sting and are harmless to people.

?Why is it called a spreadwing?

Because it often rests with its wings held partly open instead of folded together.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Lestes disjunctus
Group
Dragonflies and damselflies
Family
Lestidae
Classification
Insecta > Odonata > Lestidae
Lives on
North America

Where the facts come from

  1. Lestes disjunctus (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Reuven Martin. CC0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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More from the same group: Dragonflies and damselflies

Also at home here: Ponds, rivers and shores

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