Pennants
What are they?
The pennants form a group of colorful and eye-catching members of the family Libellulidae. They get their names from their colorful wings and their habit of sitting openly on top of prominent perches, thus resembling small flags or pennants. The Eastern Amberwing is included here as it has similarly attractive wings and similar behavior.
Identification
The color and patterning of the wings should distinguish the species fairly readily, though care is sometimes needed in separating female Calico and Martha's Pennants.
Four-spotted Pennant Brachymesia gravida
Length: 1.8-2.0 inches. Flight time: Late June to early September. In New Jersey, this is is a rare species on the north-eastern edge of its range and is currently only known from Cumberland and Cape May Counties. At Cape May, it is recorded regularly from several sites south of the Cape May Canal, where it favors freshwater ponds near the coast. The four bold wing spots separate this species from all other dragonflies locally except some Seaside Dragonlets, which are considerably smaller.
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
 |
 |
| |
|
Halloween Pennant Celithemis eponina
Length: 1.4-1.5 inches. Flight time: Mid June to late September. A common and widespread species found in many wetland habitats and in old fields and similar open places. Adult males have pink pterostigmas and more or less unmarked abdomens. Immature males and females have yellow spots on the abdomen. On females, the outer dark band on the forewing tends to be narrower than that of the male.
 |
 |
|
| |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
Calico Pennant Celithemis elisa
Length: 1.1-1.2 inches. Flight time: Mid May to early October. A rather local species in Cape May, being most often found at grassy, sometimes vernal, ponds or in open meadows. Best told from female or immature male Martha's Pennant by the clear dark mark half way along the leading edge of each wing.
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
Martha's Pennant Celithemis martha
Length: 1.2 inches. Flight time: Early July to early October. A rather local species in Cape May, being most often found at grassy, sometimes vernal, ponds in the north of the county. Female or immature male is best told from Calico Pennant by the lack of dark marks in the outer wing. Adult male is best told from Double-ringed Pennant by the large, black basal patch to the hind wing.
| |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
Banded Pennant Celithemis fasciata
Length: 1.3 inches. Flight time: Late May to early September. Uncommon and very local in Cape May and currently only known from a wetland on the northern edge of the county. Mature males are a deep blue and females reddish-brown. Abdomen color combined with wing pattern make a distinctive combination.
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
 |
| |
Double-ringed Pennant Celithemis verna
Length: 1.2-1.4 inches. Flight time: Late May to late July. Uncommon and very local in Cape May and currently only known from a wetland on the northern edge of the county. Unusual for a pennant in having almost plain wings with just a dark blotch at the base. Male is similar to male Martha's Pennant but females are unlike any other species likely to be found locally.
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
Eastern Amberwing Perithemis tenera
Length: 0.9 inches. Flight time: Early June to late September. A widespread and common species, being found in many kinds of wetlands, especially lakes and slow streams with waterlilies. Males are easily recognized by their plain, all amber wings, but females could be mistaken for some other pennant species, but for their obviously small size.
 |
|
 |
| |
|
|
 |
 |
| |
|