Sedge Sprite
(Nehalennia irene)
The Sedge Sprite is a common damselfly in central Wisconsin. In 2003, they were extremely abundant at some localities. In an area that was a dry sedge meadow, I stepped off 20 paces as I dragged a net through the vegetation and I had over 30 Sedge Sprites caught in the net. These earlier ones were yellowish below, but later in the year almost all the Sedge Sprites that I saw were blue underneath. The Sphagnum Sprite is very similar to the Sedge Sprite, but is more apt to be found in Sphagnum bogs and has a solid blue tip on the abdomen. Notice the greenish areas in the blue on the abdomen tips of the Sedge Sprite. I checked out several bogs in central Wisconsin and only saw Sedge Sprites, including the individual in the bottom photo, that is nearly solid blue on the abdomen tip. I had never seen any like that before, nor had I read about this variability, but was told that it does occasionally occur.