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Approximately 3 centimeter meadowhawk with black and yellow patterns. Males are almost entirely black with few yellow stripes and have metallic face. Females have reddish-brown eyes with pale green colours. The thorax and abdomen is mostly yellow with black stripes on lateral sides and the costal veins on both wings are yellow. Immature adults are yellow with lighter black or brown patterns on thorax and abdomen, and will gradually turn darker as they become mature (Paulson 2009).

The adults emerge around mid July to late August (Cannings and Cannings 1997). Unlike cherry-faced meadowhawks, the black meadowhawks are not territorial (Paulson 2009). The mating season is from August to early September (Cannings and Cannings 1997). Most of them mate away from the water, then come to water for oviposition in tandem by noon. Oviposition can happen either in tandem or alone. The female drop eggs from air into open water or on moss (Paulson 2009).