Bug FAQHudsonian Whiteface
Leucorrhinia hudsonica · Order: Odonata · Family: Libellulidae
The Hudsonian whiteface is a dragonfly about 27-30 mm long as an adult and 16-18 mm as a naiad. Males are black with red markings, while females are dark brown with yellow markings.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Males have black bodies with red spots on the thorax and abdomen. Females are dark brown and show yellow markings instead of red.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults measure 27 to 30 mm in length. Naiads are 16 to 18 mm long.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Bogs where they occur are at higher elevations.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Naiads feed on aquatic insects like mosquito larvae, other fly larvae, mayfly larvae, and freshwater shrimp.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Naiads live among submerged vegetation. They emerge as adults during the night.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing from early May through late August, with most records from late May to mid-August.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Their range extends from Alaska to Labrador and from Hudson Bay to northern West Virginia.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
They can resemble Sympetrum species in appearance and behavior. Members of their genus change appearance as they age, making identification tricky.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 27 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Michigan, Oregon, California, Maine, Wisconsin, Vermont, Minnesota, Alaska.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What do Hudsonian whiteface dragonflies look like?
Males are black with red markings, while females are dark brown with yellow markings.
Source: Wikipedia
When are they active?
Adults fly from early May to late August, with most sightings between late May and mid-August.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Libellulidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudsonian_whiteface
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.