A male Sphagnum Sprite in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (7/29/2014).

Photo by Richard Orr MBP List

A Sphagnum Sprite in Prince George's Co., Maryland (5/29/2015).

View Record Details Photo by Bonnie Ott MBP List

A Sphagnum Sprite in Prince George's Co., Maryland (5/29/2015).

View Record Details Photo by Bonnie Ott MBP List

A Sphagnum Sprite in Prince George's Co., Maryland (5/29/2015).

View Record Details Photo by Bonnie Ott MBP List

A Sphagnum Sprite in Prince George's Co., Maryland (5/29/2015).

View Record Details Photo by Bonnie Ott MBP List

A Sphagnum Sprite in Prince George's Co., Maryland (5/29/2015).

View Record Details Photo by Bonnie Ott MBP List

Sphagnum Sprite in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Bill Hubick, all rights reserved. (Photo ID: 803647 - Psn: 20)

View Record Details Photo by Bill Hubick MBP List

Sphagnum Sprite in Caroline Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Bert Harris, some rights reserved (<a rel='license' href='http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/'>CC BY-NC</a>). (Photo ID: 1063160 - Psn: 25)

Sphagnum Sprite in Caroline Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Bert Harris, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).

View Record Details Photo by Bert Harris via iNaturalist MBP List

A Sphagnum Sprite in Caroline Co., Maryland (6/13/2020).

View Record Details Photo by Jim Moore MBP List

Sphagnum Sprites mating in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (6/15/2014).

View Record Details Photo by Bonnie Ott MBP List

Sphagnum Sprite in Queen Anne's Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Jonathan Irons, some rights reserved (<a rel='license' href='http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/'>CC BY-NC</a>). (Photo ID: 601788 - Psn: 45)

Sphagnum Sprite in Queen Anne's Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Jonathan Irons, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).

View Record Details Photo by Jonathan Irons MBP List

A Sphagnum Sprite in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (6/4/2013).

Photo by Richard Orr MBP List

Sphagnum Sprite in Caroline Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Benjamin Schwartz, some rights reserved (<a rel='license' href='http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/'>CC BY-NC</a>). (Photo ID: 426586 - Psn: 52)

Sphagnum Sprite in Caroline Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Benjamin Schwartz, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).

View Record Details Photo by Benjamin Schwartz via iNaturalist MBP List

Sphagnum Sprite in Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Jonathan Irons, some rights reserved (<a rel='license' href='http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/'>CC BY-NC</a>). (Photo ID: 573873 - Psn: 55)

Sphagnum Sprite in Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Jonathan Irons, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).

View Record Details Photo by Jonathan Irons MBP List

Sphagnum Sprite in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Bill Hubick, all rights reserved. (Photo ID: 803658 - Psn: 55)

View Record Details Photo by Bill Hubick MBP List

Sphagnum Sprite in Caroline Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Mike Ostrowski, some rights reserved (<a rel='license' href='http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/'>CC BY-SA</a>). (Photo ID: 1021683 - Psn: 55)

Sphagnum Sprite in Caroline Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Mike Ostrowski, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA).

View Record Details Photo by Mike Ostrowski MBP List

A Sphagnum Sprite at Andelot Farm in Kent Co., Maryland (6/7/2014).

Photo by Judy Gallagher MBP List

A Sphagnum Sprite in Howard Co., Maryland (6/1/2019).

View Record Details Photo by Bonnie Ott MBP List

A Sphagnum Sprite in Howard Co., Maryland (6/1/2019).

View Record Details Photo by Bonnie Ott MBP List

Sphagnum Sprite in Caroline Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) 116916927065934112165, some rights reserved (<a rel='license' href='http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/'>CC BY-SA</a>). (Photo ID: 254930 - Psn: 65)

Sphagnum Sprite in Caroline Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) 116916927065934112165, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA).

View Record Details Photo by Matt Muir via iNaturalist MBP List

Sphagnum Sprite in Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Rick Cheicante, some rights reserved (<a rel='license' href='http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/'>CC BY-NC</a>). (Photo ID: 355627 - Psn: 65)

Sphagnum Sprite in Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Rick Cheicante, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).

View Record Details Photo by Rick Cheicante MBP List

Sphagnum Sprite in Caroline Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Jonathan Irons, some rights reserved (<a rel='license' href='http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/'>CC BY-NC</a>). (Photo ID: 616188 - Psn: 66)

Sphagnum Sprite in Caroline Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Jonathan Irons, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).

View Record Details Photo by Jonathan Irons MBP List

Sphagnum Sprite in Caroline Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Benjamin Schwartz, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).

View Record Details Photo by Benjamin Schwartz via iNaturalist MBP List

A Sphagnum Sprite exuvia in Prince George's Co., Maryland (5/29/2015).

View Record Details Photo by Bonnie Ott MBP List

Map Snapshot

232 Records

GA AL WA FR CL MO HO BA BC HA CE PG AA CV CH SM KE QA CN TA DO WI SO WO

Status

Sphagnum Sprite (Nehalennia gracilis), as its common name suggests, is strongly associated with boggy habitats with an abundance of sphagnum mosses (like bogs, slow creeks, etc.) but may occasionally be found in vegetated habitats without moss present (Paulson, 2011). In Maryland, this beautiful species is distributed primarily along the coastal plain, on both the Eastern and Western shores, where it is found very locally in bogs (Richard Orr's Dragonflies and Damselflies of Maryland and the District of Columbia). It is ranked as S2 (state rare).

Seasonality Summary

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Resources

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Citations

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Use of media featured on Maryland Biodiversity Project is only permitted with express permission of the photographer.

A male Sphagnum Sprite in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (7/29/2014). Media by Richard Orr.

A Sphagnum Sprite in Prince George's Co., Maryland (5/29/2015). View Record Details Media by Bonnie Ott.

Sphagnum Sprite in Caroline Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Bert Harris, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). View Record Details Media by Bert Harris via iNaturalist.

A Sphagnum Sprite in Caroline Co., Maryland (6/13/2020). View Record Details Media by Jim Moore.

Sphagnum Sprites mating in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (6/15/2014). View Record Details Media by Bonnie Ott.

Sphagnum Sprite in Queen Anne's Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Jonathan Irons, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). View Record Details Media by Jonathan Irons.

A Sphagnum Sprite in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (6/4/2013). Media by Richard Orr.

Sphagnum Sprite in Caroline Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Benjamin Schwartz, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). View Record Details Media by Benjamin Schwartz via iNaturalist.

Sphagnum Sprite in Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Jonathan Irons, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). View Record Details Media by Jonathan Irons.

Sphagnum Sprite in Caroline Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Mike Ostrowski, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA). View Record Details Media by Mike Ostrowski.

A Sphagnum Sprite at Andelot Farm in Kent Co., Maryland (6/7/2014). Media by Judy Gallagher.

A Sphagnum Sprite in Howard Co., Maryland (6/1/2019). View Record Details Media by Bonnie Ott.

Sphagnum Sprite in Caroline Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) 116916927065934112165, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA). View Record Details Media by Matt Muir via iNaturalist.

Sphagnum Sprite in Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Rick Cheicante, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). View Record Details Media by Rick Cheicante.

Sphagnum Sprite in Caroline Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Jonathan Irons, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). View Record Details Media by Jonathan Irons.

Sphagnum Sprite in Caroline Co., Maryland (Date obscured). (c) Benjamin Schwartz, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). View Record Details Media by Benjamin Schwartz via iNaturalist.

A Sphagnum Sprite exuvia in Prince George's Co., Maryland (5/29/2015). View Record Details Media by Bonnie Ott.