EBONY JEWELWING Calopteryx maculata

DRAGONFLIES AND DAMSELFLIES OF WEST VIRGINIA SPECIES PAGE

Ebony Jewelwing is among the most common damselflies in West Virginia, and certainly it is the most-noticed one. As the sunlight hits this damselfly’s body, the color is a beautiful metallic green. As the angle of the light changes the color may seem to shift to a teal blue. As the angle of light changes still further, and as the quantity of light decreases, the Ebony Jewelwing’s body may seem to be black.

Like its several relatives in the Broad-winged Damselfly family, Ebony Jewelwings like to live alongside clear flowing water. In the case of Ebony Jewelwing, the preference is for small to large creeks or small rivers, especially those flowing through forests. Unlike some of its relatives, however, the Ebony Jewelwing may leave the creekside behind and flutter off into nearby meadows.

It is easy to tell this species from others. This is the only damselfly in West Virginia, or anywhere near West Virginia, that has all-black wings. Differentiating males from females is also easy with this species. The females have a small white pseudostigma on each wing, while the males do not.

A favorite of many, this damselfly has been collected in most counties in West Virginia. Those counties that have no record of this species are probably counties where little, if any, collecting of Odonates has ever taken place. The species is probably present in all fifty-five counties.

No other damselfly in our area looks like this, with metallic blue-green coloration and wings that are all black. This is a male; a female would have a small white pseudostigma on each wing.

Ebony may seem an odd name to give to a damselfly with such beautiful blue-green coloration. But in this pose, spreading its wings in preparation for flight, there is plenty of ebony coloration displayed.

The faces of male and female Ebony Jewelwings are essentially the same. The presence of white pseudostigmas on the wings identify this Ebony Jewelwing as a female.

All images on this page are © Stephen Cresswell.

This site is sponsored by Stephen Cresswell Photography.