A Jewel in the Rough

One of the common damselflies that I see around rivers here, especially early in the summer are the river jewelwings. Their name is a little misleading because it is their head, thorax, and abdomen that sparkle like jewels. Their wings are fairly plain.

River jewelwing are a member of the spreadwing damselfly family. Spreadwings are typically larger damselflies. We have three spreadwing damsels that can be found here in Minnesota. The river jewelwing, the ebony jewelwing, which looks just like the river jewelwing except for its wings are entirely black, and the American rubyspot, which is a little smaller then the jewelwings and is metallic red in color. All three of these jewelwing are usually found around rivers and streams but occasionally are found around lakes or ponds also. I photographed this jewelwing at William O'brien State Park which is located on the shore of the St Croix River.