Insect
Eastern Forktail
Ischnura verticalisEastern forktails are tiny, ubiquitous damselflies found perching low on emergent vegetation near quiet, weed-choked waters. Males feature a striking bright green thorax and a dark abdomen tipped with a vivid blue spot, while females exhibit age-dependent color phases from orange-brown to powdery blue-gray. Resilient and adaptable, these insects readily colonize disturbed urban ponds and garden water features.
InsectPredatorWetland
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyMidges, Mosquitoes, Small flies
Predators
- Frogs
- Larger dragonflies
- Spiders
ThreatsPesticide runoff, loss of wetland habitat
HabitatsPonds, marshes, slow streams, garden pools
Life span1 year (adults live 1 to 2 months)
Classification
- OrderOdonata
- FamilyCoenagrionidae
- GenusIschnura
- SpeciesIschnura verticalis
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Optimal Conditions: Look around quiet pond edges on warm, sunny afternoons.
- Location Strategy: Search low among grasses and rushes right at the water line.
- Approach Carefully: Move slowly to avoid flushing them into dense cover.
Predator (c) Eugene Zelenko, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
Predator "Green Frog" by AER Wilmington DE is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/. · cc-by
Close Relative no rights reserved · cc0
Close Relative (c) Zachary Dankowicz, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Zachary Dankowicz · cc-by
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Found in Collections
Ecosystem chain
Wetland Territory
Eastern Forktail is found in this collection. Identify it in Fauna to fill this slot and continue your progress.
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