About Sympetrum vicinum (Hagen, 1861)
Sympetrum vicinum, commonly known as the Yellow-Legged Meadowhawk, is a species of dragonfly in the Libellulidae family, and is one of around fifteen North American autumn meadowhawk species. Adults grow to a length of 26 to 35 millimeters. This dragonfly inhabits areas in and around marshes, ponds, and slow-moving streams across eastern United States, southern Canada, the Great Plains, and the west coast of North America. It has two geographically separate populations across the continent. The first ranges from Ontario east to Nova Scotia, extending south into the United States as far as Texas and Florida. The second population is found in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The aquatic naiad stage of this species lives in bottom debris of lakes and ponds. Instead of actively chasing prey, naiads wait for prey to pass by, a strategy that also helps protect them from other predators. Naiads emerge from water at night to complete their transition into adult dragonflies. Adult dragonflies fly from early August through October. This species flies later into the fall than any other dragonfly species in the Northwest; observations have recorded flying individuals as late as October 29 in Idaho, and into November in Washington. Adult Yellow-Legged Meadowhawks hunt flying insects from perches on rocks or bare branches. The Latin genus name Sympetrum translates to "with rock", and refers to the genus’s common habit of basking on rocks to absorb heat early in the day. This species is abundant where it occurs, and large numbers of mating pairs can be seen flying and laying eggs while positioned in tandem. After mating, the female remains in tandem with the attached male while she lays eggs. She deposits eggs near the shorelines of lakes and ponds by dipping the tip of her abdomen into the water’s surface. Large-mouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) have been observed following mated pairs flying just above the water surface, and preying on the dragonflies when they touch the water to lay eggs.
