Bug FAQEastern Willow Spreadwing
Chalcolestes parvidens · Order: Odonata · Family: Lestidae
The Eastern Willow Spreadwing is a metallic-green damselfly that rests with its wings spread apart. It lives near shaded water where it lays eggs in bark incisions, and the adults fly from spring through autumn. Its range includes eastern and central Europe, the eastern Mediterranean islands, and parts of the Near East.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The body shines metallic green and the wings are held away from the body when at rest.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
Pairs lay eggs together into cuts in the bark of overhanging branches rather than into submerged plants.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Eggs develop quickly for a few weeks, then enter a slow-growing diapause that lets them overwinter.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are on the wing from May through November in most of its range. On Cyprus the flight season extends from early April to January.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Island populations occur on Cyprus, Corsica, Crete and Sicily.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
In the field it cannot be reliably separated from the similar C. viridis; both are metallic green, larger and darker than typical Lestes damselflies.
Source: Wikipedia
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I tell the Eastern Willow Spreadwing apart from similar species?
It is virtually impossible to reliably distinguish it from C. viridis in the field; both look alike with metallic green bodies and similar size.
Source: Wikipedia
When are Eastern Willow Spreadwings active?
Adults fly from May to November, but on Cyprus they may be seen from early April through January.
Source: Wikipedia
Where does this damselfly live?
It occurs in eastern and central Europe, the eastern Mediterranean islands, and several Near Eastern countries such as Syria, Jordan, Israel and Turkey.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Lestidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalcolestes_parvidens
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.