Lucas County

Known species: 111
Total Observations: 11,548
Population: 436,393
Area in Square Miles: 341
People per Square Mile: 775
Observations per Square Mile: 33.9 (highest in state)

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.

Lucas County Ohio

Observed Species

Common NameScientific NameLucas TotalOhio TotalLucas 2023Last Sighted
Blue DasherPachydiplax longipennis61013,1691082023
Eastern ForktailIschnura verticalis60613,3261862023
Autumn MeadowhawkSympetrum vicinum5846,9711532023
Eastern PondhawkErythemis simplicicollis51413,870722023
Widow SkimmerLibellula luctuosa43610,3521082023
Familiar BluetEnallagma civile4205,111802023
Eastern AmberwingPerithemis tenera3878,819992023
Common Green DarnerAnax junius3814,1461112023
Calico PennantCelithemis elisa3702,752512023
Violet DancerArgia fumipennis violacea3446,2471002023
Black SaddlebagsTramea lacerata3242,839652023
Double-striped BluetEnallagma basidens3024,313752023
Fragile ForktailIschnura posita29010,727772023
Common WhitetailPlathemis lydia2819,898602023
Twelve-spotted SkimmerLibellula pulchella2393,377282023
Blue-faced MeadowhawkSympetrum ambiguum2091,20442023
Slaty SkimmerLibellula incesta1794,032472023
Wandering GliderPantala flavescens1791,241362023
Halloween PennantCelithemis eponina1703,628202023
Prince BaskettailEpitheca princeps1622,390492023
Painted SkimmerLibellula semifasciata1581,056102023
Blue-fronted DancerArgia apicalis1565,692242023
Orange BluetEnallagma signatum1503,184522023
Pronghorn ClubtailPhanogomphus graslinellus143451362023
Carolina SaddlebagsTramea carolina1431,04892023
Slender SpreadwingLestes rectangularis1363,49292023
Stream BluetEnallagma exsulans1344,097332023
Banded PennantCelithemis fasciata131684282023
American RubyspotHetaerina americana1293,761502023
Ebony JewelwingCalopteryx maculata1257,169232023
Royal River CruiserMacromia taeniolata119536222023
Westfall's Slender BluetEnallagma traviatum westfalli1181,991462023
Great SpreadwingArchilestes grandis11682472023
Powdered DancerArgia moesta974,247272023
Dusky ClubtailPhanogomphus spicatus93191262023
Green-striped DarnerAeshna verticalis9326252023
Emerald SpreadwingLestes dryas9347942023
Blue-tipped DancerArgia tibialis873,785222023
Unicorn ClubtailArigomphus villosipes861,687262023
Great Blue SkimmerLibellula vibrans8646722023
Azure BluetEnallagma aspersum802,115192023
Flag-tailed SpinylegDromogomphus spoliatus79743242023
Ashy ClubtailPhanogomphus lividus79874152023
Skimming BluetEnallagma geminatum763,109112023
White-faced MeadowhawkSympetrum obtrusum7527252023
Sweetflag SpreadwingLestes forcipatus73443192023
Shadow DarnerAeshna umbrosa731,03172023
Spotted SpreadwingLestes congener7273162023
Vesper BluetEnallagma vesperum65740212023
Swift River CruiserMacromia illinoiensis64688102023
Comet DarnerAnax longipes63515132023
Sedge SpriteNehalennia irene6135942023
Blue-ringed DancerArgia sedula602,364142023
Macromia HybridMacromia pacifica x taeniolata5890162023
Spot-winged GliderPantala hymenaea58478132023
Ruby MeadowhawkSympetrum rubicundulum5094242023
Dot-tailed WhitefaceLeucorrhinia intacta491,35712023
Swamp DarnerEpiaeschna heros4862042023
Citrine ForktailIschnura hastata4889902022
Dusky DancerArgia translata451,37672023
Lyre-tipped SpreadwingLestes unguiculatus4318012023
Belted WhitefaceLeucorrhinia proxima333302021
Turquoise BluetEnallagma divagans3176862023
Band-winged MeadowhawkSympetrum semicinctum3186032023
Cyrano DarnerNasiaeschna pentacantha3027732023
Striped SaddlebagsTramea darwini303302021
Common BaskettailEpitheca cynosura2574852023
Four-spotted SkimmerLibellula quadrimaculata24285172023
Red SaddlebagsTramea onusta2414502022
Midland ClubtailGomphurus fraternus2180222023
Amber-winged SpreadwingLestes eurinus1961002020
Hine's EmeraldSomatochlora hineana182401961
Fawn DarnerBoyeria vinosa1644032023
Cobra ClubtailGomphurus vastus1637702021
Chalk-fronted CorporalLadona julia165902020
Lance-tipped DarnerAeshna constricta1535802022
Golden-winged SkimmerLibellula auripennis154402022
Southern SpreadwingLestes australis1425512023
Rainbow BluetEnallagma antennatum1445802019
Swamp SpreadwingLestes vigilax1354402022
Russet-tipped ClubtailStylurus plagiatus1230712023
Mocha EmeraldSomatochlora linearis1219202022
Plains ClubtailGomphurus externus1118902011
Variegated MeadowhawkSympetrum corruptum1111702020
Gilded River CruiserMacromia pacifica107302019
Clamp-tipped EmeraldSomatochlora tenebrosa820802016
Tule BluetEnallagma carunculatum649812023
DragonhunterHagenius brevistylus643902018
Black-tipped DarnerAeshna tuberculifera614102017
Frosted WhitefaceLeucorrhinia frigida62902021
Wabash River CruiserMacromia wabashensis62502012
Eastern Red DamselAmphiagrion saucium51,23002022
Elegant SpreadwingLestes inaequalis547902022
Mottled DarnerAeshna clepsydra53102015
Spatterdock DarnerRhionaeschna mutata433502021
Spangled SkimmerLibellula cyanea31,03702022
Aurora DamselChromagrion conditum347102018
Handsome ClubtailGomphurus crassus317002020
Lancet ClubtailPhanogomphus exilis21,51802019
Elusive ClubtailStylurus notatus210102016
Marsh BluetEnallagma ebrium26602012
Slender BaskettailEpitheca costalis21902021
Sphagnum SpriteNehalennia gracilis137002021
Arrowhead SpiketailCordulegaster obliqua117202018
Northern BluetEnallagma annexum16501952
Boreal BluetEnallagma boreale14401952
Canada DarnerAeshna canadensis14101997
Saffron-winged MeadowhawkSympetrum costiferum12001953
Band-winged DragonletErythrodiplax umbrata11602014
Cherry-faced MeadowhawkSympetrum internum11401992
Little Blue DragonletErythrodiplax minuscula1502022


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 NameScientific NameOhio ObsLocal Obs# of CountiesPeak Active
Skillet ClubtailGomphurus ventricosus2611Jun
Black-shouldered SpinylegDromogomphus spinosus54200Jun-Jul
Arrow ClubtailStylurus spiniceps30500late Aug-early Sep
Springtime DarnerBasiaeschna janata29800May
Hagen's BluetEnallagma hageni8400Jun
Stygian ShadowdragonNeurocordulia yamaskanensis6800late Jun
Northern SpreadwingLestes disjunctus2400Jun-Aug
Allegheny River CruiserMacromia alleghaniensis1600Jul
Umber ShadowdragonNeurocordulia obsoleta600Jun

Lucas County lies 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. It is bordered to the east by Lake Erie, and to the southeast by the Maumee River. 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

  • Wiregrass Lake Metropark in northwest Ohio features a spring fed lake and boasts some of the best examples of the Oak Openings Region’s globally rare wet prairie community. After much invasive plant removal and natural area restoration, many of the region’s state-listed rare species continue to thrive here, monitored each season by volunteer researchers and staff. To protect the diversity of the dragonfly population, Metroparks Toledo asks that any bank-fishing be done only from the dock or stone ledges accessible off of the Blue Dasher Trail, and that the protected beach area at the south end of the lake remain off limits to any fishing. 58 species of Odonata have been observed here since 2008—a testament to the high biodiversity found within the Oak Openings.

    https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/odonata-of-wiregrass-lake-metropark

    See Ohio Dragon Flier issues 32-2 and 33-1 "Wiregrass Lake Odonata Monitoring".

  • Maumee River Water Trail. Map shows parkland, water access points, and facilities.

County Observation Activity

This graph shows the total number of odonata observations for the county in brown, with the average for all Ohio counties in blue. The season is divided into 10 or 11 day segments by Month – basically early-month, mid-month, and late-month.

Page updated 20 February 2024