Bug FAQRoseate Skimmer
Orthemis ferruginea · Order: Odonata · Family: Libellulidae
The roseate skimmer is a medium-sized dragonfly about 46 to 55 mm long with a wingspan of 35 to 44 mm. It lives near open water, including natural ponds as well as artificial sites like tanks and ditches, and is native from the United States down to Brazil.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Length is 46 to 55 mm and wingspan 35 to 44 mm.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It needs open water and can be found in many habitats, including disturbed or artificial water bodies like tanks and ditches.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Native to the Americas, ranging from the United States to Brazil.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 27 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Florida, Arizona, Louisiana, California, New Mexico, Georgia, South Carolina.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Libellulidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roseate_skimmer
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.