Swamp Spreadwing

Lestes vigilax · Order: Odonata · Family: Lestidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Swamp Spreadwing
Photo: Claire Herzog, CC BY

The swamp spreadwing measures about 42 to 55 mm in length. It is most often seen from May through October.

Source: Wikipedia

When you see it

Adults are most commonly observed between May and October.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it is found in the US

Recorded in 33 of 51 states and DC. Most records: New Jersey, Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina, Maryland, New York, Florida, Massachusetts.

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

JFMAMJJASOND

Source: GBIF

More photos

Swamp Spreadwing photo 3
Photo: mmp133, CC BY
Swamp Spreadwing photo 4
Photo: Claire Herzog, CC BY
Swamp Spreadwing photo 5
Photo: Healthy Yards, CC BY
Swamp Spreadwing photo 6
Photo: Anna Hess, CC BY

Same family (Lestidae)

Western Willow SpreadwingWestern Willow SpreadwingChalcolestes viridisSlender SpreadwingSlender SpreadwingLestes rectangularisCommon Winter DamselflyCommon Winter DamselflySympecma fuscaCommon SpreadwingCommon SpreadwingLestes sponsaGreat SpreadwingGreat SpreadwingArchilestes grandisSpotted SpreadwingSpotted SpreadwingLestes congener

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lestes_vigilax

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.

How this page works

This is one bug's fact sheet. The colored box at the top says whether it is dangerous. Sections below cover how to recognize it, whether it is a pest, and how to deal with it. The US map shows which states have records; tap a state to see other bugs there.

Every fact on Bug FAQ comes from a named source (university extension sites, government agencies, GBIF, iNaturalist, Wikipedia). The source is linked next to each section. If we have no source for something, we leave it out.