Bluets
What are they?
A group of mostly blue, very brightly-colored damselflies, some of which are the commonest and most familiar damsels in the region.
Identification
The females in this group can be very hard to identify at times and it is sometimes necessary to look at the minute structure of the front of the thorax. Generally however, they are not seen as often as the males, or may be seen in tandem, making identification easier. The males can be tricky too and careful attention should be paid to the pattern of the thorax, the exact distribution of blue on the distal end of the abdomen, and details of the postocular spots and bar on the back of the head behind the eyes.
Double-striped Bluet Enallagma basidens
Length: 0.9-1.0 inches. Flight time: Late May to early October. A species that expanded its range eastward from the southwest and was first recorded in New Jersey in 1982. The first records for Cape May County came in 2010. In both male and female, there is a distinctive, narrow blue line dividing the black sides of the thorax longitudinally.
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
Familiar Bluet Enallagma civile
Length: 1.1-1.4 inches. Flight time: Mid May to early November (to December in exceptional years). A very common and widespread species which may be found in any freshwater habitat. Most similar to Atlantic Bluet and the males are best told by the length of the cerci, the two prongs at the end of the abdomen. In this species they are about the same length as the tenth (last) abdominal segment. In Atlantic Bluet, they are shorter than the tenth segment.
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
| |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
Atlantic Bluet Enallagma doubledayi
Length: 1.1-1.4 inches. Flight time: Mid May to late October. A very localized species in Cape May and currently known from just a few sandy lakes in mid-county. Most similar to Familiar Bluet and the males are best told by the length of the cerci, the two prongs at the end of the abdomen. In this species they are noticably shorter than the tenth (last) abdominal segment. In Familiar Bluet, they are about the same length as the tenth segment.
 |
|
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
 |
| |
Big Bluet Enallagma durum
Length: 1.4-1.6 inches. Flight time: Late May to early November. Local but can be common where it is found. Favors the upper, fresher edges of saltmarshes, especially where there are areas of more or less permanent standing water. Despite the name, this species is not always obviously bigger than other bluets. Similar to Familiar and Atlantic Bluets but both male and female have a pale line down the center of the thorax.
 |
 |
|
| |
|
|
Azure Bluet Enallagma aspersum
Length: 1.2-1.3 inches. Flight time: Mid May to late October. Widespread at a range of wetlands, especially ponds and lakes. Populations are dynamic as this species is often a colonizer of newly created wetlands such as gravel pits. The male is the only bluet in the region with extensive blue on segment 7 of the abdomen.
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
Skimming Bluet Enallagma geminatum
Length: 0.8-1.1 inches. Flight time: Early May to October. A small bluet, usually found along the edges of well-vegetated ponds where it mostly perches low on emergent or floating vegetation. The wavy-edged black mark on the underside of segment 2 of the abdomen is unique among our bluets.
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
 |
| |
Turquoise Bluet Enallagma divagans
Length: 1-1.4 inches. Flight time: Early May to early August. Generally inhabits emergent vegetation along moving waterways (streams especially). Generally a dark species with blue confined to the thorax and the distal end of the abdomen. Very similar to Skimming Bluet but without the black mark on the underside of segment 2 of the abdomen.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Slender Bluet Enallagma traviatum
Length: 1.1-1.3 inches. Flight time: Early June to early August. Favors permanent water bodies, usually with well-vegetated margins. Very similar to Turquoise Bluet but has larger postocular spots and males have larger cerci, often noticeable in the field.
 |
 |
| |
|
 |
 |
| |
|
Attenuated Bluet Enallagma daeckii
Length: 1.5-1.8 inches. Flight time: Early June to early August. A pineland species which is scarce in our area and confined to sandy, sphagnum pools in the north of Cape May County. The solidly pale blue head and thorax and long, slender abdomen are distinctive.
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
 |
 |
| |
|
Orange Bluet Enallagma signatum
Length: 1.1-1.3 inches. Flight time: Mid May to mid October. Widespread in small numbers around well-vegetated lakes and ponds.
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Scarlet Bluet Enallagma pictum
Length: 1.2-1.3 inches. Flight time: Late May to early September. An easily identified species due to the extensive red coloration. A vulnerable species and currently considered a species of special concern in New Jersey. In Cape May, the species is restricted to a handful of ponds in the northern part of the county.
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
 |
| |