Halloween Pennant

On 6 August, Erika and I found Halloween Pennants along the large, artificial pond next to Circle Lake in Rice County, Minnesota. With its orangish wings with dark bands, the species is unmistakable. They are generally the most common Pennant.  We disagree with the BugGuide.net that claims that the males are not territorial.  We saw males chasing other males away before returning to their perches.

Male Halloween Pennants have red-topped abdomens. Females can be reddish or yellow. When perched, this pennant holds its forewings higher than the back ones, a trait evident in the photo below.

This species is found from Central America, across eastern North America, often to southern Canada. Although they can be found away from water, they prefer lakes and ponds. This dragonfly is a hardy species, even encountered on cool, windy, rainy days (Mead).