About Celithemis eponina (Drury, 1773)
This dragonfly species, commonly called the Halloween pennant, gets its name from its wing coloration: its wings are entirely orange-yellow with dark brown bands, a pattern that evokes Halloween imagery. Like other dragonflies in its genus Celithemis, it perches on the tips of plants, where it waves in the breeze like a pennant flag. Young individuals have yellow markings, including a stripe running along their back. Adult males and females may develop pale red markings, which are particularly prominent on the face. Adult Halloween pennants are roughly 38 to 42 millimeters in total length. The Halloween pennant is found across eastern North America. Its range extends as far north as southern Canada, and as far west as the area of the United States east of the Rocky Mountains, including New Mexico and Colorado. Within the southern portion of its range, which includes The Bahamas and Cuba, the species is active year-round. In more northern latitudes of its range, it can only be seen from mid-June to mid-August. It inhabits wetland habitat types including ponds, marshes, and lakes, where it will sometimes perch on vegetation.
