Eastern Forktail, Older Female. The Eastern Forktail is one of the most common damselflies found in the United States. At almost any small pond, they fly daintily in and out of the shore plants, perching occasionally before moving on. They barely exceed one inch in length.

Those new to damselfly watching might see a large group of Eastern Forktails and think they were seeing three different species, when in fact they were seeing only one—with color variations based on gender and age. The female Eastern Forktail begins life colored orange on the front and black on most of the abdomen. As she ages, a waxy blue substance obscures her earlier coloration. Males are green toward the front, black on most of the abdomen, and have light blue coloration on the abdomen's tip.