The Dragonflies and Damselflies of North Carolina
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North Carolina's 189 Odonate species

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Sort Species by: Family   Scientific Name       [ Undocumented ]
Related Species in COENAGRIONIDAE: Number of records for 2024 = 5
Added in 2024-00-00 from a previous years = 3

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Turquoise Bluet (Enallagma divagans) by Mark Shields
Compare with: Stream Bluet   Slender Bluet   Skimming Bluet  
Identification Tips: Move the cursor over the image, or tap the image if using a mobile device, to reveal ID Tips.
Note: these identification tips apply specifically to mature males; features may differ in immature males and in females.
Enallagma_divagans

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Map
Click on county for list of all its records for Turquoise Bluet
Flight Charts
Distribution Nearly statewide. Possibly absent in one to several counties along the Outer Banks. Nonetheless, the assumption should be made that it occurs in all counties, though possibly absent in one or two far eastern ones.
Abundance Despite its very wide range in the state, as with the Double-striped Bluet it is generally just uncommon to locally fairly common across the state, though certainly rare in the extreme eastern counties and in the higher elevations. A one-day count of 120 was made in the eastern Piedmont in 2014, tripling the previous single one-day count of 40; a count of 150 was made in a southern coastal county in 2018. Thus, as with many other bluets, the species is quite local -- quite numerous at some montane ponds, a handful of Coastal Plain creeks, and at various sites (pond margins and creeks) in the Piedmont.
Flight This is another bluet that ends its flight by mid-summer, as opposed to flying well into the fall season. In the Coastal Plain, it occurs from early April only to mid-July. The Piedmont flight is from late April to mid-July, and the mountain flight is slightly later -- early May to early August. Nonetheless, the flights are mostly over by mid-July across the state.
Habitat Varied. More often at heavily shaded, slow-moving streams, but it also is found along shaded pond and lake margins. Interestingly, most montane records are from ponds, whereas farther eastward, there is a tendency to be a creekside species (at least in the Coastal Plain).
Behavior This species is found more often in semi-shaded places with plenty of shrubs along the edge of a lake, pond, or slow-moving creek; it seldom can be found in full sun, and never out in the open at a lake or pond -- but tucked along shores.
Comments This bluet has an odd array of habitats, much more so than nearly all others. Most other bluets occur around pond margins, often in sunny places, where males may perch on grass blades or twigs out into the water, or at least fly within the grasses and sedges along the shore. The Turquoise Bluet usually shuns full sun, and likes partial shade close to bushes along the water's edge, where they often perch; these sites can be along shaded rivers or creeks, or shaded ponds. Reports of the species seen well out from shore, at lakes and ponds, probably relate to the rather similar Slender Bluet (which favors sunnier places).
State Rank S5
State Status
Global Rank G5
Federal Status
Synonym
Other Name
Species account update: LeGrand on 2023-01-18 13:12:54

Photo Gallery for Turquoise Bluet   29 photos are shown. Other NC Galleries:    Jeff Pippen    Will Cook    Ted Wilcox
Photo 1 by: L. Arent

Comment: Durham, 2024-04-23, Flat River Waterfowl Impoundment
Photo 2 by: Mike Turner

Comment: Cumberland, 2023-05-07, Carver's Creek State Park - Sandhills Section
Photo 3 by: Matt Spangler

Comment: Chatham, 2022-06-17, Haw River--Bynum Dam
Photo 4 by: Harry LeGrand

Comment: Alleghany, 2022-06-14, various sites in Alleghany County - Little Glade Millpond (Blue Ridge Parkway)
Photo 5 by: Mike Turner

Comment: Bladen, 2022-06-12, Turnbull Creek at SR 1331 (Braxton Edge Rd.)
Photo 6 by: P Dixon

Comment: Madison, 2022-05-31, Davis Branch Pond, new county record
Photo 7 by: Lori Arent

Comment: Wake, 2022-05-23, Hare Snipe Creek, in Wooten Meadows Park
Photo 8 by: Matt Spangler

Comment: Buncombe, 2021-07-17, Biltmore Forest/Brooklawn Park pond
Photo 9 by: L. Arent

Comment: Wilkes; M, 2021-06-03, Buck Mountain Pond near Maple Springs
Photo 10 by: Emily Chebul

Comment: Camden, 2021-05-31, Dismal Swamp State Park, South Mills; iNaturalist Record #81646267
Photo 11 by: Matt Spangler

Comment: Scotland, 2021-05-06, Sandhills GL--Scotland Lake
Photo 12 by: Kevin Metcalf

Comment: Mecklenburg, 2021-04-30, Clarks Creek Nature Preserve, Hucks Rd., pond
Photo 13 by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn

Comment: Scotland, 2020-05-14, Lumber River State Park
Photo 14 by: Ken Kneidel

Comment: Yancey, 2018-06-17 - vegetated area on edge of small pond
Photo 15 by: Mark Shields

Comment: Pender, 2018-05-18, Ashes Creek at Shaw Highway bridge
Photo 16 by: Mark Shields

Comment: Onslow, 2018-05-18, Sandy Run Swamp at NC 50 bridge - abundant; many tandem and ovipositing pairs
Photo 17 by: Mark Shields, Hunter Phillips

Comment: Scotland, 2017-05-15, Scotland Lake and in-flowing creek, Sandhills Game Land
Photo 18 by: Mike Turner, Conrad Wernett, Alyssa Wernett

Comment: Scotland, 2017-05-07, Sandhill Game Land; Scotland Lake - 10 adult males
Photo 19 by: Mark Shields

Comment: Bladen, 2016-05-27, Black River
Photo 20 by: Curtis Smalling

Comment: Macon, 2015-06-08, Highlands Biological Station - at pond edge
Photo 21 by: Owen McConnell

Comment: Graham, 2014-07-07, Bear Creek Junction ponds
Photo 22 by: Conrad Wernett

Comment: Craven, 2014-05-04- All creeks within Croatan National Forest
Photo 23 by: Vin Stanton, Virginia Senechal

Comment: Henderson, 2013-06-20, Fletcher Park - Female
Photo 24 by: Vin Stanton

Comment: Buncombe, 2011-06-01, at golf course pond near Beaver Lake, Asheville
Photo 25 by: Ali Iyoob, Matt Daw, Dan Irizarry

Comment: Richmond; C, 2011-05-05, McKinney Lake Fish Hatchery
Photo 26 by: Deb O'Neill

Comment: Alleghany, 2010-06-22
Photo 27 by: Beth Brinson

Comment: Alleghany, 2008-06-07, Blue Ridge Parkway
Photo 28 by: Beth Brinson

Comment: Haywood, 2007-06-05, Private pond, Male
Photo 29 by: Ted Wilcox

Comment: Ashe, 2006-07-13, mated pair