Marsh bluet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Marsh bluet |
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Enallagma
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E. ebrium
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| Enallagma ebrium (Hagen, 1861)
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The marsh bluet (Enallagma ebrium) is a type of damselfly. It belongs to the family called Coenagrionidae. These small, colorful insects are often found near water.
Contents
What Do Marsh Bluets Look Like?
Marsh bluets have different looks depending on if they are adults or young.
Adult Marsh Bluets
- Males: Male marsh bluets have a blue body (thorax) with a wide black stripe on top. They also have two black stripes on their shoulders. Their thin body (abdomen) is mostly blue with black marks along the top. The very tip of their abdomen is black. Their large eyes are dark blue-black. They have small, tear-shaped spots behind their eyes.
- Females: Female marsh bluets have a body similar to the males. However, their body is tan or blue-green and black, instead of blue and black. Their abdomen is mostly black on top and tan or blue-green underneath. Their large eyes are brown and yellowish.
Marsh Bluet Young (Naiads)
- The young marsh bluet, called a naiad, is small. It is about 16 to 20 millimeters (0.6 to 0.8 inches) long.
- It has the usual thin shape of a young damselfly.
- Naiads can be light to dark brown in color.
Where Do Marsh Bluets Live?
Marsh bluets usually live near lowland lakes, ponds, and marshes. They especially like water that is a bit alkaline.
What Do Marsh Bluets Eat?
Marsh bluets have different diets depending on their age.
What Naiads Eat
- Young marsh bluets (naiads) eat many kinds of water insects.
- This includes mosquito larvae, mayfly larvae, and other fly larvae that live in water.
What Adult Bluets Eat
- Adult marsh bluets eat many small, soft-bodied flying insects.
- They enjoy mosquitoes, mayflies, flies, and small moths.
- Sometimes, they pick tiny insects like aphids off plants.
How Big Are Marsh Bluets?
The marsh bluet is a smaller type of bluet damselfly. It grows to be about 25 to 34 millimeters (1 to 1.3 inches) long.
Where Are Marsh Bluets Found?
Marsh bluets live in many parts of North America.
- United States: They are found in states like Colorado, Connecticut, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
- Canada: They also live in Canadian provinces such as Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan.
How Do Marsh Bluets Behave?
Marsh bluets sometimes rest on plants in their habitat. When they perch, they hold their wings together. They fly slowly, darting in and out of the plants that grow in the water.
When Are Marsh Bluets Active?
The marsh bluet is active from early June to early September. This is their main flight season.
Marsh Bluet Ecology
Marsh bluets are very common in alkaline marshes during the middle of summer.
Reproduction
Male marsh bluets choose good spots for breeding. After a male and female mate, the female lays her eggs. She can lay them one by one, or sometimes the male stays with her while she lays them. They can even go as deep as one foot (30 cm) underwater to lay their eggs on water plants.
Similar Species
The marsh bluet looks a lot like the Hagen's bluet and the familiar bluet.
