I’m used to seeing dragonflies in the spring, but it turns out one type of dragonfly we see in Wisconsin is most active during the fall.
Autumn Meadowhawks prefer marshes and wetlands where they eat mosquitoes, gnats and other small insects But they can also be found far from water.
My friend Jill and I spotted this one resting on a milkweed pod in a woods last weekend, and it wasn’t alone. There were at least a half-dozen of these dragonflies zooming around by the edge of a path.
Autumn Meadowlarks are about 1.5 inches long with a bright-red abdomen.
These dragonflies breed in fall, and the eggs the females lay will hatch the following spring!
