Uncommon
Average 2.1 in. long
On the wing mid-July to mid-August
Thorax and abdomen are brown to black, with yellow facial markings (a bridge between the eyes), two wide parallel yellow stripes on the thorax, and several larger side stripes. There are small yellow dashes running along the top of the abdomen, and the tail flairs out at the end in the distinctive clubtail. There are three large yellow spots on the side of this appendage. The very similar. The base of the wings is yellow in some individuals, but otherwise clear with four black spots in the upper corner of each wing. Eyes of both sexes are grey.
This dragonfly splits its time between large slow, often muddy rivers and grassy or wooded banks.
The nymphs of this species are lurkers, and camouflage themselves by burying all but their antennae in the sand and waiting for prey to drift on by.