Variable Dancer - Blog Posts

Smoky-winged Dancer (Argia fumipennis ssp. fumipennis), teneral female, taken May 6, 2025, in Georgia, US

Here I am again, filling my blog with damselflies... Update on these guys: the males are STILL brown. It's been 3 weeks!!! When will they turn purple?? They look nice brown as well, but they're not even the pretty brown they get when they're mature. When fully adult, females will become a nice golden brown and males become a vibrant violet, both having black patterning as well. It looks gorgeous, but right now all of them are this sad, pale brown. The day I see a purple male I am going to jump for joy and scare it away lol.

Smoky-winged Dancers (Argia fumipennis ssp. fumipennis), male (top) and female (bottom), taken September 5, 2024, in Georgia, US

The Southeastern subspecies of the Variable Dancer, as opposed to the Violet Dancer in the (sort of) Northeastern US. They're extremely common in my area, appearing in droves along with Fragile Forktails. I absolutely love their colors, both male and female!