Hancock County
Known species: 81
Total Observations: 3,070
Population: 75,773
Area in Square Miles: 531
People per Square Mile: 142
Observations per Square Mile: 5.0
Percent of State Species: 47%
Percent of State Observations: 1.0%
County iNaturalist observations
The Observed Species table provides statistical data on all odonata species that have been observed in the county. Below that is a Target Species table listing species that have not yet been documented in this county, but are likely to exist in the county. This list is data-driven by listing species records from neighboring counties.
Observed Species
Common Name | Scientific Name | Hancock Total | Ohio Total | Hancock 2025 | Last Sighted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Forktail | Ischnura verticalis | 175 | 18,549 | 11 | 2025 |
| Blue-fronted Dancer | Argia apicalis | 147 | 7,716 | 27 | 2025 |
| Eastern Pondhawk | Erythemis simplicicollis | 142 | 19,534 | 14 | 2025 |
| Widow Skimmer | Libellula luctuosa | 137 | 14,355 | 17 | 2025 |
| Stream Bluet | Enallagma exsulans | 132 | 5,543 | 8 | 2025 |
| Common Whitetail | Plathemis lydia | 131 | 14,243 | 16 | 2025 |
| Blue Dasher | Pachydiplax longipennis | 124 | 18,692 | 11 | 2025 |
| Familiar Bluet | Enallagma civile | 120 | 7,430 | 17 | 2025 |
| Eastern Amberwing | Perithemis tenera | 113 | 12,693 | 14 | 2025 |
| Slender Spreadwing | Lestes rectangularis | 110 | 4,797 | 19 | 2025 |
| Blue-tipped Dancer | Argia tibialis | 108 | 5,374 | 24 | 2025 |
| Fragile Forktail | Ischnura posita | 99 | 15,432 | 6 | 2025 |
| Violet Dancer | Argia fumipennis violacea | 83 | 8,693 | 5 | 2025 |
| Ebony Jewelwing | Calopteryx maculata | 81 | 10,084 | 5 | 2025 |
| Double-striped Bluet | Enallagma basidens | 80 | 6,256 | 4 | 2025 |
| Twelve-spotted Skimmer | Libellula pulchella | 80 | 4,080 | 1 | 2025 |
| Powdered Dancer | Argia moesta | 67 | 6,026 | 8 | 2025 |
| Westfall's Slender Bluet | Enallagma traviatum westfalli | 55 | 2,589 | 6 | 2025 |
| Autumn Meadowhawk | Sympetrum vicinum | 50 | 10,593 | 4 | 2025 |
| Skimming Bluet | Enallagma geminatum | 45 | 4,461 | 2 | 2025 |
| Calico Pennant | Celithemis elisa | 44 | 3,706 | 2 | 2025 |
| Azure Bluet | Enallagma aspersum | 43 | 2,863 | 1 | 2025 |
| Rainbow Bluet | Enallagma antennatum | 40 | 540 | 2 | 2025 |
| Dusky Dancer | Argia translata | 38 | 1,962 | 8 | 2025 |
| Unicorn Clubtail | Arigomphus villosipes | 37 | 2,314 | 0 | 2024 |
| American Rubyspot | Hetaerina americana | 36 | 5,250 | 1 | 2025 |
| Common Green Darner | Anax junius | 35 | 6,289 | 2 | 2025 |
| Slaty Skimmer | Libellula incesta | 34 | 5,911 | 1 | 2025 |
| Blue-ringed Dancer | Argia sedula | 33 | 3,416 | 2 | 2025 |
| Black Saddlebags | Tramea lacerata | 32 | 4,110 | 4 | 2025 |
| Halloween Pennant | Celithemis eponina | 32 | 5,028 | 1 | 2025 |
| Midland Clubtail | Gomphurus fraternus | 32 | 1,012 | 0 | 2024 |
| Emerald Spreadwing | Lestes dryas | 30 | 708 | 0 | 2023 |
| Prince Baskettail | Epitheca princeps | 29 | 3,264 | 6 | 2025 |
| Orange Bluet | Enallagma signatum | 28 | 4,380 | 0 | 2024 |
| Blue-faced Meadowhawk | Sympetrum ambiguum | 27 | 1,926 | 9 | 2025 |
| Royal River Cruiser | Macromia taeniolata | 25 | 679 | 1 | 2025 |
| Cyrano Darner | Nasiaeschna pentacantha | 23 | 366 | 2 | 2025 |
| Shadow Darner | Aeshna umbrosa | 23 | 1,353 | 0 | 2024 |
| Swamp Darner | Epiaeschna heros | 22 | 849 | 2 | 2025 |
| Wandering Glider | Pantala flavescens | 22 | 1,903 | 0 | 2024 |
| Elegant Spreadwing | Lestes inaequalis | 20 | 616 | 0 | 2023 |
| River Bluet | Enallagma anna | 19 | 21 | 0 | 2023 |
| Dot-tailed Whiteface | Leucorrhinia intacta | 17 | 1,915 | 0 | 2023 |
| Common Baskettail | Epitheca cynosura | 17 | 1,067 | 0 | 2023 |
| Carolina Saddlebags | Tramea carolina | 16 | 1,444 | 0 | 2024 |
| Lyre-tipped Spreadwing | Lestes unguiculatus | 15 | 247 | 10 | 2025 |
| Swift River Cruiser | Macromia illinoiensis | 15 | 837 | 1 | 2025 |
| Citrine Forktail | Ischnura hastata | 15 | 1,238 | 0 | 2024 |
| Flag-tailed Spinyleg | Dromogomphus spoliatus | 14 | 939 | 2 | 2025 |
| Sweetflag Spreadwing | Lestes forcipatus | 14 | 605 | 1 | 2025 |
| Great Spreadwing | Archilestes grandis | 12 | 1,133 | 0 | 2023 |
| Ruby Meadowhawk | Sympetrum rubicundulum | 12 | 991 | 0 | 2023 |
| Comet Darner | Anax longipes | 12 | 724 | 0 | 2022 |
| Turquoise Bluet | Enallagma divagans | 11 | 1,043 | 1 | 2025 |
| Band-winged Meadowhawk | Sympetrum semicinctum | 10 | 1,106 | 1 | 2025 |
| Swamp Spreadwing | Lestes vigilax | 10 | 706 | 1 | 2025 |
| Fawn Darner | Boyeria vinosa | 10 | 615 | 0 | 2021 |
| Mocha Emerald | Somatochlora linearis | 9 | 263 | 0 | 2019 |
| Spotted Spreadwing | Lestes congener | 7 | 1,069 | 0 | 2022 |
| Pronghorn Clubtail | Phanogomphus graslinellus | 7 | 566 | 0 | 2023 |
| Great Blue Skimmer | Libellula vibrans | 7 | 513 | 0 | 2022 |
| Vesper Bluet | Enallagma vesperum | 6 | 999 | 0 | 2023 |
| Rapids Clubtail | Phanogomphus quadricolor | 6 | 445 | 0 | 2021 |
| Spot-winged Glider | Pantala hymenaea | 5 | 667 | 0 | 2021 |
| Four-spotted Skimmer | Libellula quadrimaculata | 5 | 297 | 0 | 2023 |
| Macromia Hybrid | Macromia pacifica x taeniolata | 5 | 110 | 0 | 2024 |
| Cobra Clubtail | Gomphurus vastus | 4 | 486 | 0 | 2023 |
| Spatterdock Darner | Rhionaeschna mutata | 4 | 443 | 0 | 2023 |
| Sedge Sprite | Nehalennia irene | 4 | 414 | 0 | 2022 |
| Southern Spreadwing | Lestes australis | 3 | 329 | 0 | 2018 |
| Gilded River Cruiser | Macromia pacifica | 3 | 92 | 0 | 2022 |
| Painted Skimmer | Libellula semifasciata | 2 | 1,355 | 1 | 2025 |
| Plains Clubtail | Gomphurus externus | 2 | 244 | 0 | 2004 |
| Slender Baskettail | Epitheca costalis | 2 | 28 | 0 | 2020 |
| Lancet Clubtail | Phanogomphus exilis | 1 | 2,034 | 0 | 2019 |
| Spangled Skimmer | Libellula cyanea | 1 | 1,304 | 0 | 2022 |
| Amber-winged Spreadwing | Lestes eurinus | 1 | 759 | 0 | 2022 |
| White-faced Meadowhawk | Sympetrum obtrusum | 1 | 383 | 0 | 2015 |
| Clamp-tipped Emerald | Somatochlora tenebrosa | 1 | 251 | 0 | 1960 |
| Variegated Meadowhawk | Sympetrum corruptum | 1 | 170 | 0 | 2019 |
Target Species
Target species are potential County Records - species not yet documented in the county. 'Local Obs' is Local Observations and indicates the number of times that the species has been observed in adjacent counties since 2000, and '# of Counties' is the number of adjacent counties in which those recent observations took place. Zero local observations or recent counties means the existing records are historical. 'Peak Active' is a relative description of when the species has been known to fly.| Common Name | Scientific Name | Ohio Obs | Local Obs | # of Counties | Peak Active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Saddlebags | Tramea onusta | 199 | 4 | 4 | Jun-Jul |
| Ashy Clubtail | Phanogomphus lividus | 1,150 | 2 | 2 | late May-early Jun |
| Handsome Clubtail | Gomphurus crassus | 226 | 13 | 1 | late May-early Jun |
| Aurora Damsel | Chromagrion conditum | 706 | 3 | 1 | late May-early Jun |
| Wabash River Cruiser | Macromia wabashensis | 25 | 2 | 1 | Aug |
| Dragonhunter | Hagenius brevistylus | 729 | 1 | 1 | mid Jun |
| Swift Setwing | Dythemis velox | 592 | 1 | 1 | Jul-Aug |
| Springtime Darner | Basiaeschna janata | 466 | 1 | 1 | May |
| Green-striped Darner | Aeshna verticalis | 395 | 1 | 1 | Sep |
| Dusky Clubtail | Phanogomphus spicatus | 298 | 1 | 1 | early Jun |
| Golden-winged Skimmer | Libellula auripennis | 46 | 1 | 1 | late Jun |
| Skillet Clubtail | Gomphurus ventricosus | 26 | 1 | 1 | Jun |
| Black-shouldered Spinyleg | Dromogomphus spinosus | 763 | 0 | 0 | Jun-Jul |
| Russet-tipped Clubtail | Stylurus plagiatus | 461 | 0 | 0 | Sep |
| Lance-tipped Darner | Aeshna constricta | 363 | 0 | 0 | Sep |
| Marsh Bluet | Enallagma ebrium | 66 | 0 | 0 | mid Jun |
| Northern Spreadwing | Lestes disjunctus | 24 | 0 | 0 | Jun-Aug |
| Saffron-winged Meadowhawk | Sympetrum costiferum | 20 | 0 | 0 | Oct |
| Cherry-faced Meadowhawk | Sympetrum internum | 14 | 0 | 0 | Sep |
The northern 1/3 of Hancock County is within the Maumee Lake Plains area of the Huron-Erie Lake Plains ecoregion, which was the location of the now mostly-drained and channelized Black Swamp. The southern 2/3 of the county is in the Till Plains. The Blanchard River, which has its headwaters to the south in Hardin County, crosses the eastern part of the county from south to north, making a 90 degree turn to the west close to Findlay, draining into the Maumee watershed and Lake Erie. The county is entirely within the Lake Erie Watershed (See p. 11 in Ohio Coastal Atlas: Chapter 2 for a detailed watershed map).
Places to Visit
Blanchard River Water Trail. Provides detailed map showing river, nearby trails, adjacent parks, and facilities.
County Observation Activity
This graph shows the total number of odonata observations for the county in blue, with the average for all Ohio counties in orange. The season is divided into 10 or 11 day segments by Month – basically early-month, mid-month, and late-month.
Page updated 12 January 2026