Our insect of the week for March 30, 2026 is Calopteryx maculata, the ebony jewelwing (also known as the black-winged damselfly). [ODONATA: Calopterygidae] It was described by Ambroise Marie François Joseph Palisot, Baron de Beauvois (a French naturalist) in 1807.

This species is commonly found throughout the eastern United States and southern Canada. Adults display some sexual dimorphism; females have a white spot near the tips of their wings. Males lack this spot (known as a pseudopterostigma – your word for the day).

Adults are often found near wooded streams and rivers; they may also fly some distance from those streams. Adults mate in summer. Both adults and nymphs are predators, often feeding on other insects. In central Illinois, adults are often observed in June and July. Like most adult damselflies, they hold their wings closed over their back when resting. Adults often are more active in early morning and late afternoon in central Illinois (my personal observations).

Females require some plant material just below the surface of the water to lay their eggs. They can deposit several hundred eggs.

The specimen shown in the photo was collected by Gordon Adams in Peoria County, Illinois.