Bug FAQWhite-faced Meadowhawk
Sympetrum obtrusum · Order: Odonata · Family: Libellulidae
Adult male white-faced meadowhawks have a pure white face and a red body, while females are yellowish or brown.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Males show a distinct pure white face and red body; females are usually yellowish or brown.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range includes the northern United States and southern Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Juveniles look almost the same as ruby and cherry-faced meadowhawks, but mature ones can be told apart by their white faces.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 41 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Colorado, New York, Illinois, Ohio, California.
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
Same family (Libellulidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-faced_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.