Sedge Sprites a long way from water

[Brian Bailey]

I found 2 Sedge Sprites in my garden yesterday: one male and one female.  I've been finding them there for at least 6 or 7 years, but this was the first female.  As I was thinking about the first female, I got wondering about why they're there in the first place.  The nearest potential breeding location is about 750 metres away with many roads, buildings and fields in between.  They aren't particularly strong flyers, so what are they doing there?  One or two spreadwings are the only other damselflies I can recall seeing around my house over the years.  Damselflies of any kind usually stay pretty close to water.  I've found next to no information to determine if this is unusual for this species.
Here's the male:

And the female:

And for the record, those are daffodil stems, not sedges.  :?

BB

[gary yankech]

Well, that is unusual but, I have found them in sedge grass in a wet meadow. I also have found them in the vicinity of bone dry vernal ponds in the Rouge. Usually though you would find them near the edges of creeks or a body of water. Beautiful pictures! These guys are tiny.

Gary Yankech

[gary yankech]

Well, that is unusual but, I have found them in sedge grass in a wet meadow. I also have found them in the vicinity of bone dry vernal ponds in the Rouge. Usually though you would find them near the edges of creeks or a body of water. Beautiful pictures! These guys are tiny.

Gary Yankech

Just an addition....according to Ed Lam's book "Damselflies of the Northeast", Sedge Sprites are found throughout Ontario but near still-waters like bogs, small ponds, and slow moving creeks. They also prefer areas with heavy vegetation. Are any  of these suitable habitats around your place? A rain basin, large bird feeder,  runoff from you storm gutter perhaps? Or, is there a creek or wetland area nearby?

Gary Yankech

[Brian Bailey]

That's the puzzle.  I can't think of anything that I would consider close enough.  I could imagine them hatching in a blocked rain gutter except I believe the nymphs overwinter and emerge as adults the next year.  Unless they can survive being frozen solid, a rain gutter wouldn't do it.

BB

[JimmyM]

Very nice photos !
Jim