Butterflies, Moths, Dragonflies & Damselflies of Dayton, Ohio

LILYPAD FORKTAIL

This is an orange female Lilypad Forktail, photographed at Kiser Lake. 

This is a male Lilypad Forktail, classified as a species of concern in Ohio. These forktails look similar to Skimming Bluets, but they have larger blue spots behind the eyes and more blue at the abdomen tip. 

This is a blue female Lilypad Forktail. Older females turn blue with age. 

This is another orange female Lilypad Forktail, photographed at Kiser Lake. Lilypad Forktails have a couple of broods in Ohio. I have seen them from May through October.

Lilypad Forktails are only found in lakes and ponds where lilypads grow. Most of the places where I hunt for odes do not have waterlilies. Until 2024, I had only seen this species at Kiser Lake in Champaign County. In 2024 and 2025, I also observed this species at Spring Valley Wildlife Area. 

Lilypad Forktails typically perch with their abdomen tips pointed downward and touching the lilypad.