Bug FAQFragile Forktail
Ischnura posita · Order: Odonata · Family: Coenagrionidae
The fragile forktail measures about 21 to 29 mm in length (0.83 to 1.14 in). Both males and females have shoulder stripes that look like exclamation marks. It is native to most of eastern North America and is a common damselfly along the US east coast.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
It is 21 to 29 mm (0.83 to 1.14 in) long.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to most of eastern North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 39 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Ohio, New Jersey, Texas, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Massachusetts, New York.
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
Same family (Coenagrionidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ischnura_posita
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.