This couple, with the brownish female contrasting markedly with the red male, are in the “wheel position.” During this amazing spectacle, the male grasps the female behind her head with his claspers as he transfers his sperm packet to her. Depending on the species this can take several seconds to several hours, with several minutes being a good average. Most of that time is spent removing sperm of males that may have previously mated with that female. White-faced Meadowhawks can be found coast to coast across Canada and the Northern US states in marshes, ponds, lakes, and slow moving streams.
Photo by: Kristi DuBois on 7/18/21 in Missoula, MT