About Sympetrum costiferum (Hagen, 1861)
Sympetrum costiferum, commonly known as the saffron-winged meadowhawk, is a dragonfly species belonging to the genus Sympetrum. It is distributed across northern and central United States, and most of Canada, including the southern part of the Northwest Territories. The abdomen of this species is yellowish-brown, and both sexes develop a pale red abdomen when they reach maturity. Juvenile individuals and females have saffron (gold) colored stripes along their wings. The wing veins of both males and females are reddish or orange. The sides of the abdomen feature distinct black triangular markings. Some females have amber-colored areas at the base of their wings. The legs are marked with alternating stripes of black and yellow or black and red. The species reaches a total length of 35 millimeters, which equals 1.4 inches. Sympetrum costiferum shares overlapping ranges with both the ruby meadowhawk and the white-faced meadowhawk, and is difficult to distinguish from these two species.
