NC Odonate Website

Related Species in COENAGRIONIDAE:

Number of records for 2025 = 5

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e.g., flight data, high counts, and earliest/latest dates can be seen.
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Sandhill Bluet (Enallagma davisi) by Mark Shields

Compare with: Familiar Bluet Atlantic 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.

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Map

Click on county for list of all its records for Sandhill Bluet

Flight Charts

Distribution

Primarily the Sandhills region, but sparingly east to the southeastern corner of the state. As NC lies at the northern end of the range, the current northern limits are Craven, Sampson, and Moore counties.

Abundance

Generally uncommon and local, eastward to Sampson and Bladen counties, and very rare east to Carteret County. Fairly common at a few favored locales in the Sandhills.

Flight

A spring-season flight only, unusual for a bluet. The flight occurs from very late March to mid-June, but is mostly over by mid-May.

Habitat

Sandy-bottomed lakes or large ponds, with emergent vegetation along the shore.

Behavior

Males are not at all shy, often perching conspicuously on stubs or other emergent vegetation in a pond or lake, often a bit out from the shore. Of course, they can occur with females in vegetation along a pond margin.

Comments

Though there are many dragonflies with a flight period in the spring season only, there are few such "spring only" damselflies. As with the Cherry Bluet, the species does not seem quite scarce enough to be considered as a Watch List species by the N.C. Natural Heritage Program. Nonetheless, the State Rank is probably better at S3 than a less scarce S3S4 where it currently is ranked. Thankfully, we now have a few recent records away from the Sandhills, documented by photos, from as far east as Carteret County and southeast to Brunswick County. Surprisingly there are no records yet for Cumberland County, much of which lies in the Sandhills region.

State Rank

S3S4 [S3]

State Status

Global Rank

Federal Status

Synonym

Other Name

Species account update: LeGrand on 2023-01-18 13:02:20

The Dragonflies and Damselflies of North Carolina
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Photo Gallery for Sandhill Bluet 18 photos are shown.		Other NC Galleries: Jeff Pippen Will Cook Ted Wilcox
	Photo 1 by: Matt Spangler Comment: Richmond; C, 2023-05-07, McKinney Lake State Fish Hatchery		Photo 2 by: Harry LeGrand, Lori Arent Comment: Richmond; C, 2023-04-05, - males at Bagget Lake; photo by Lori Arent
	Photo 3 by: Matt Spangler Comment: Richmond; C, 2021-04-12, Sandhills GL Block A (Lake Bagget and nearby ponds and roads)		Photo 4 by: L. Arent Comment: Richmond; C, 2021-04-04, Indian Camp Lake
	Photo 5 by: Rob Van Epps, Kevin Metcalf Comment: Scotland, 2020-04-17, Scotland Lake		Photo 6 by: Rob Van Epps, Kevin Metcalf Comment: Scotland, 2020-04-17, Scotland Lake - blue female
	Photo 7 by: R.Emmitt, H. LeGrand, J. Pippen Comment: Scotland, 2019-04-28, Crawford Lake		Photo 8 by: R Emmitt and super DSA crew! Comment: Scotland, 2018-05-11, Scotland Lake
	Photo 9 by: Kyle Kittelberger Comment: Richmond; C, 2017-05-08, McKinney Lake Fish Hatchery		Photo 10 by: Mark Shields Comment: Brunswick, 2017-04-12, North Lake and Spring Lake parks, Boiling Spring Lakes
	Photo 11 by: Mark Shields Comment: Carteret, 2017-04-04, Ponds along Patsy Pond Nature Trail, Croatan National Forest - mature males		Photo 12 by: Conrad Wernett, Alyssa Wernett, Matt Anderson Comment: Richmond; C, 2015-05-03 - Many seen around Lake McKinney and adjacent fish hatchery
	Photo 13 by: Alicia Jackson Comment: Moore; C, 2015-05-02, in my garden (adj. to Ray		Photo 14 by: Conrad Wernett Comment: Scotland, 2014-04-26, Scotland Lake
	Photo 15 by: Ali Iyoob, Matt Daw, Dan Irizarry Comment: Richmond; C, 2011-05-05, McKinney Lake Fish Hatchery		Photo 16 by: Ali Iyoob, Matt Daw, Dan Irizarry Comment: Scotland, 2011-05-05, Scotland Lake in the Sandhills Game Land
	Photo 17 by: R. Emmitt, M. Millard Comment: Scotland, 2008-04-19, Sandhills Game Land		Photo 18 by: R. Emmitt, M. Millard Comment: Scotland, 2008-04-19, female from the Sandhills Game Land