About Nehalennia irene (Hagen, 1861)
Nehalennia irene, commonly known as the sedge sprite, was first described by Hagen in 1861. For identification, male sedge sprites have a bright green upper thorax, and the sides of the thorax are black on top of a blue or yellow-green base. Males have a dark iridescent green abdomen, marked with a blue tip and dark green spots. Their large eyes are black above blue, with a thin blue bar running across the top of the head. Female sedge sprites differ in appearance: the back of the thorax is dark green, and the sides are yellowish. Females have a dark upper abdomen and yellowish lower abdomen. Their large eyes are greenish or yellowish. Sedge sprites typically inhabit areas along vernal pools, marshes, and grassy ponds. This species is distributed across multiple regions of the United States and Canada. In the United States, it can be found in Alaska, California, Connecticut, District Of Columbia, Delaware, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Wyoming. In Canada, it occurs in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan.
