Fun Eastern Pondhawk Facts For Kids

Want to know more about this bright, attractive pondhawk? These skimmers belong to the order Odonata, which consists of dragonflies and damselflies.

The colorful Erythemis simplicicollis is also known as the green jacket, the green dragon, the green jacket skimmer, and the common pondhawk. They are endemic to the continent of North America and can be found in areas of eastern and central America, New Mexico, and Canada.

Eastern pondhawks are found near the shores of small water bodies like lakes, ponds, rivers, marshes, and streams.

This species can be found on grassy vegetation or logs, flat rocks, or any object near these water bodies. These dragonflies prefer a little warmth and are often seen bathing in sunlight.

This species is easily identified by its green face, green or blue body color, and semi-transparent wings. Their characteristics include aggressive behavior towards other insects and sometimes their species with cannibal-like behavior during the larvae stage.

If you enjoyed reading these North American eastern pondhawk dragonfly facts, you would also enjoy our articles on blue dasher and damselfly.

Eastern Pondhawk Interesting Facts

What type of animal is an eastern pondhawk?

Eastern pondhawks (Erythemis simplicicollis) are a type of dragonfly. They belong to the family of dragonflies and damselflies.

What class of animal does an eastern pondhawk belong to?

Eastern pondhawks belong to the class of Insecta, and its scientific name is Erythemis simplicicollis.

How many eastern pondhawks are there in the world?

These dragonflies, belonging to the family Libellulidae, are several in number. This is because females lay a large number of eggs every day.

Where does an eastern Pondhawk live?

An eastern pondhawk is found near small water bodies like ponds, marshes, streams, and lakes. These skimmers are native to North America, and they can be found in parts of the eastern and central United States, New Mexico, and some parts of Canada like Quebec and Ontario.

What is an eastern pondhawk's habitat?

Eastern pondhawks inhabit areas near the shores of small water bodies like lakes, ponds, rivers, marshes, and streams. They can be found on grassy vegetation or logs, flat rocks, or any object near these water bodies. These dragonflies prefer a little warmth and are often seen bathing in sunlight.

Who do eastern pondhawks live with?

Dragonflies are found in groups called 'swarms' and they are very territorial. It can be assumed that eastern pondhawks exhibit the same behavior.

How long does an eastern Pondhawk live?

The lifespan of these pondhawks ranges from a few months to about two years.

How do they reproduce?

An eastern pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) reproduces like any other dragonfly. An eastern pondhawk male is responsible for setting up the place where a female will lay her eggs.

These marked territories are generally under still waters and near plants for extra safety of the eggs.

An eastern pondhawk female mates with a male in the marked territory and starts laying eggs within a minute of their mating. She can lay up to 900 eggs at a time and often mates with more than one male in a day.

Females do not take care of their eggs, but rather the males guard these eggs and protect the offspring until they fully mature into adults.

The egg goes through three stages of development which are an egg to larvae to an adult. The larvae will generally crawl out of the water and move onto the land and molt to become an adult.

What is their conservation status?

According to the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, the conservation status of the eastern pondhawk dragonfly is at Least Concern. This is because they are abundant in nature due to the huge number of eggs every female lay.

Eastern Pondhawk Fun Facts

What do eastern Pondhawks look like?

Females of the eastern pondhawk species are more colorful than their male counterparts. Females have vivid green faces with black or brown marks on their abdomen. Young males resemble females as they have green bodies but quickly change color as they grow up.

Evolving from vivid green, adult males become light blue with yellow marks on their undersides. Both male and female skimmers have semi-transparent wings with visible flexion lines and veins. Both have green compound eyes with excellent vision that aids their hunt.

How cute are they?

Eastern pondhawks are considered very cute due to their bright, beautiful colors. They stand out due to their vivid colors and are very precious to collectors.

How do they communicate?

Dragonflies have been discovered to communicate through their colors.

How big is an eastern Pondhawk?

An eastern pondhawk is a tiny insect with a length of about 1.4-1.9 in (36-48 mm).

How fast can eastern pondhawks fly?

Although the exact flying speed of these dragonflies is unknown, they are known to be very fast while catching other insects. In general, dragonflies are found to travel at a speed of 22-34 mph (35-55 kph).

How much does an eastern Pondhawk weigh?

While the exact weight of an eastern pondhawk is unknown, its weight should be around 0.021-0.035 oz (0.6-1 g) like other dragonflies.

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no specific names of the male and female counterparts of green jackets.

What would you call a baby eastern pondhawk?

A baby eastern pondhawk is known as a 'naiad' or a 'nymph', like other baby dragonflies.

What do they eat?

The carnivorous eastern pondhawk preys on small flying insects like butterflies, small mosquitos, damselflies, and even sometimes members of their species. The larvae of this common pondhawk crawl underwater and feast on aquatic insects, tadpoles, fish, and at times other pondhawk larvae until it matures into an adult.

Are they dangerous?

An eastern pondhawk dragonfly is an aggressive insect, especially to other members of its species. An eastern pondhawk male violently guards its territory against others. However, they are not harmful to humans.

Would they make a good pet?

This species of dragonflies will not make very good pets as they are used to living in the open and cannot be tamed.

Did you know...

A male eastern pondhawk exhibits a 'leap frogging' manner while guarding its territories against other males. While chasing away another male, the one in the back suddenly sweeps under the male in front. They interchange their position for quite some time.

How do eastern pondhawks regrow their wings?

Unfortunately, eastern pondhawks are not known to regrow their wings.

How do eastern pondhawks catch their prey?

An eastern pondhawk dragonfly is a very aggressive predator. They earn the name of 'hawk' due to the similarities in their methods of hunting.

Adults perch on top of rocks or stay on the ground, relying heavily on their excellent vision to spot and attack their prey. When it spots suitable prey, it launches itself toward it and catches it. This dragonfly then securely traps the insect between its legs while looking for a suitable place to devour it.

The larvae of the pondhawks, however, are unable to fly. They crawl onto surfaces like underwater vegetation and prey on aquatic insects, tadpoles, fish, and at times other pondhawk larvae.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other arthropods including banded tussock moth or dragonfly.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our eastern pondhawk coloring pages.