Bug FAQBand-winged Meadowhawk
Sympetrum semicinctum · Order: Odonata · Family: Libellulidae
Also called: Half-banded Toper
The Band-winged Meadowhawk is a medium-sized dragonfly about 28 to 36 mm long with a 45 to 55 mm wingspan. Males show a bright red abdomen marked with black spots and have hind wings with a rusty base patch, while the front wings are almost clear. It lives near meadow edges, ponds, marshes, lakes, and even in hills or mountains across Canada and the United States, feeding on soft-bodied flying insects.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The hind wings feature a rusty patch at the base covering about one-third of the wing, while the front wings are nearly transparent.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Length ranges from 28 to 36 mm and wingspan from 45 to 55 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Found perched on vegetation at meadow edges, in weedy ponds, marshes, lakes, and also in hilly or mountainous areas.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults eat soft-bodied flying insects.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Larvae develop among aquatic vegetation.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing from April to mid-October, most common in late summer.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Native throughout Canada and the continental United States, from coast to coast.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 43 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Colorado, Ohio, Utah, Idaho, Minnesota, Oregon, California, Vermont.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
When can I see them?
They are active from April through mid-October, especially in late summer.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Libellulidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Band-winged_meadowhawk
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.