FAMILIAR Bluet, DOUBLE-STRIPED BLUET, and tule bluet
Familiar Bluets can fly as early as May, but they are much more common in late summer and autumn.
Male Familiar Bluet. This is a very common and widespread species in our area.
Familiar Bluets are abundant in September and October, and even November if the weather holds. My personal late date is November 18, 2016.
This is the same individual as above, seen from a different angle. Many female bluets have black "torpedo-shaped" markings on the abdomen.
Double-striped Bluet. These damselflies are somewhat similar to Familiar Bluets, but they look much smaller in the field.
Double-striped Bluets are very common and widespread. They have a long flight period. I find them from May through October.
This is probably a female Familiar Bluet. Female bluets are difficult to identify to species, but Familiar Bluet is the most likely ID for this individual, based on habitat and known males in the area. Female Familiar Bluets are usually white or silver, as opposed to the brilliant blue color of the males.
This is a mated pair of Double-striped Bluets. The female (below) is greenish-blue. (Caution - female Stream Bluets are also green and often have the thin extra stripe on the thorax!)
This damselfly is a Tule Bluet. They are somewhat similar to Familiar Bluets, but Tule Bluets have more black and less blue on the middle segments. Tule Bluets are uncommon in our area. I photographed this one in Champaign County.
Here is a useful comparison photo. The damselfly on top is a Familiar Bluet, and the one below is a Tule Bluet. Notice that the Familiar Bluet has longer blue segments, while the Tule Bluet has more black in the middle. Photographed in Champaign Co., Ohio.
Another Double-striped Bluet. Notice the additional thin blue stripe between the wider blue stripes on the thorax.
This is a young male Tule Bluet. Males start out pale and develop the blue colors as they mature. Photographed May 27, 2023 at Pointe North near Urbana.
