Bug FAQArroyo Bluet
Enallagma praevarum · Order: Odonata · Family: Coenagrionidae
Males have blue eyes with turquoise raindrop-shaped spots above each eye and a blue abdomen marked with black rectangular spots ending in a similarly colored tip. They live near slow-moving streams, lake edges, and open areas with plenty of shrubs and trees. Their range includes the western United States down into southern Mexico, and they are active from March through October.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Males show blue eyes with turquoise, raindrop-shaped spots above each eye.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Found near slow-flowing streams or lake margins that have emergent vegetation. Also common in open regions with abundant shrubs and trees.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing from March until October.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Native to the western United States and extends south into southern Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Its behavior is similar to other bluet species.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 15 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Arizona, New Mexico, California, Texas, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Utah.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Coenagrionidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arroyo_bluet
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.