The Dragonflies and Damselflies of North Carolina
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North Carolina's 189 Odonate species
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Related Species in COENAGRIONIDAE: Number of records for 2024 = 3

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e.g., flight data, high counts, and earliest/latest dates can be seen.
[View PDF]		Sandhill Bluet (Enallagma davisi) by Mark Shields
Compare with: Familiar Bluet   Atlantic Bluet  
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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 G5
Federal Status
Synonym
Other Name
Species account update: LeGrand on 2023-01-18 13:02:20
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