Powdered dancer
The powdered dancer is a damselfly, a slim cousin of the dragonfly. Grown-up males look as if someone dusted them with blue or grey powder, and old males can be almost ash white. The males have a blue tip at the end of their long tail.
How fast is it?
Fun facts
Young males are tan to dark brown and only become pale and powdery as they get older.
Its name moesta means sad, maybe because the ash-like dust reminds people of old customs of putting ashes on to show sadness.
Females come in two colours, blue or brown.
When a pair flies together, their bodies form a heart shape.
The female lays her eggs inside water plants while the male stays close to guard her.
Most asked questions about Powdered dancer
?What is a powdered dancer?
A damselfly from North America. The males look dusted with blue or white powder.
?Is the powdered dancer dangerous?
No. It is harmless to people and eats small insects.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Argia moesta
- Group
- Dragonflies and damselflies
- Family
- Coenagrionidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Odonata > Coenagrionidae
- Lives on
- North America
Where the facts come from
- Powdered dancer (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Gaberlunzi (Richard Murphy). CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
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