Lucas County

Known species: 111
Total Observations: 15,549
Population: 436,393
Area in Square Miles: 341
People per Square Mile: 775
Observations per Square Mile: 33.9 (highest in state)
Percent of State Species: 64%
Percent of State Observations:
5.1%

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 2025Last Sighted
Eastern ForktailIschnura verticalis89418,5491192025
Autumn MeadowhawkSympetrum vicinum87610,5931132025
Blue DasherPachydiplax longipennis85518,692942025
Eastern PondhawkErythemis simplicicollis69419,534812025
Widow SkimmerLibellula luctuosa57714,355712025
Common Green DarnerAnax junius5226,289632025
Familiar BluetEnallagma civile5217,430312025
Calico PennantCelithemis elisa5043,706462025
Eastern AmberwingPerithemis tenera49612,693322025
Violet DancerArgia fumipennis violacea4738,693392025
Fragile ForktailIschnura posita46215,432412025
Double-striped BluetEnallagma basidens4326,256462025
Black SaddlebagsTramea lacerata4244,110522025
Blue-faced MeadowhawkSympetrum ambiguum4151,9261212025
Common WhitetailPlathemis lydia41314,243462025
Twelve-spotted SkimmerLibellula pulchella2994,080192025
Wandering GliderPantala flavescens2521,903462025
Slaty SkimmerLibellula incesta2345,911262025
Prince BaskettailEpitheca princeps2213,264152025
Halloween PennantCelithemis eponina2205,028282025
Orange BluetEnallagma signatum2094,380272025
Painted SkimmerLibellula semifasciata2081,355232025
Blue-fronted DancerArgia apicalis2037,716122025
Pronghorn ClubtailPhanogomphus graslinellus199566142025
Slender SpreadwingLestes rectangularis1954,797192025
Banded PennantCelithemis fasciata189977272025
American RubyspotHetaerina americana1855,250132025
Stream BluetEnallagma exsulans1835,543172025
Carolina SaddlebagsTramea carolina1761,444162025
Ebony JewelwingCalopteryx maculata17010,084192025
Green-striped DarnerAeshna verticalis166395302025
Royal River CruiserMacromia taeniolata161679252025
Westfall's Slender BluetEnallagma traviatum westfalli1572,58972025
Dusky ClubtailPhanogomphus spicatus155298242025
Emerald SpreadwingLestes dryas147708202025
Powdered DancerArgia moesta1316,02682025
Spotted SpreadwingLestes congener1221,069362025
Great SpreadwingArchilestes grandis1171,13302024
Blue-ringed DancerArgia sedula1113,416112025
Blue-tipped DancerArgia tibialis1115,374102025
White-faced MeadowhawkSympetrum obtrusum110383222025
Flag-tailed SpinylegDromogomphus spoliatus108939252025
Skimming BluetEnallagma geminatum1064,461102025
Sweetflag SpreadwingLestes forcipatus105605182025
Ashy ClubtailPhanogomphus lividus1051,150152025
Azure BluetEnallagma aspersum1042,86382025
Unicorn ClubtailArigomphus villosipes952,31442025
Lyre-tipped SpreadwingLestes unguiculatus91247242025
Great Blue SkimmerLibellula vibrans9051302024
Spot-winged GliderPantala hymenaea85667182025
Shadow DarnerAeshna umbrosa831,35322025
Vesper BluetEnallagma vesperum8299922025
Swift River CruiserMacromia illinoiensis80837102025
Swamp DarnerEpiaeschna heros78849112025
Sedge SpriteNehalennia irene7341402024
Dusky DancerArgia translata701,96252025
Comet DarnerAnax longipes6972412025
Macromia HybridMacromia pacifica x taeniolata6611062025
Ruby MeadowhawkSympetrum rubicundulum6599172025
Citrine ForktailIschnura hastata641,23852025
Dot-tailed WhitefaceLeucorrhinia intacta521,91512025
Common BaskettailEpitheca cynosura511,067142025
Turquoise BluetEnallagma divagans441,04392025
Cyrano DarnerNasiaeschna pentacantha4236692025
Fawn DarnerBoyeria vinosa3961592025
Band-winged MeadowhawkSympetrum semicinctum391,10632025
Midland ClubtailGomphurus fraternus331,01232025
Belted WhitefaceLeucorrhinia proxima333302021
Striped SaddlebagsTramea darwini326022025
Red SaddlebagsTramea onusta3019962025
Four-spotted SkimmerLibellula quadrimaculata2729702024
Variegated MeadowhawkSympetrum corruptum2117062025
Amber-winged SpreadwingLestes eurinus1975902020
Hine's EmeraldSomatochlora hineana182401961
Cobra ClubtailGomphurus vastus1648602021
Chalk-fronted CorporalLadona julia165902020
Little Blue DragonletErythrodiplax minuscula1519142025
Swamp SpreadwingLestes vigilax1570612025
Lance-tipped DarnerAeshna constricta1536302022
Southern SpreadwingLestes australis1532902024
Golden-winged SkimmerLibellula auripennis154602022
Rainbow BluetEnallagma antennatum1454002019
Russet-tipped ClubtailStylurus plagiatus1246102023
Mocha EmeraldSomatochlora linearis1226302022
Gilded River CruiserMacromia pacifica129202024
Plains ClubtailGomphurus externus1124402011
Tule BluetEnallagma carunculatum868502024
Clamp-tipped EmeraldSomatochlora tenebrosa825102016
Slender BaskettailEpitheca costalis62832025
Lancet ClubtailPhanogomphus exilis62,03422025
DragonhunterHagenius brevistylus672902018
Black-tipped DarnerAeshna tuberculifera618102017
Frosted WhitefaceLeucorrhinia frigida62902021
Wabash River CruiserMacromia wabashensis62502012
Eastern Red DamselAmphiagrion saucium51,60002022
Elegant SpreadwingLestes inaequalis561602022
Mottled DarnerAeshna clepsydra53102015
Spatterdock DarnerRhionaeschna mutata444302021
Spangled SkimmerLibellula cyanea31,30402022
Aurora DamselChromagrion conditum370602018
Handsome ClubtailGomphurus crassus322602020
Arrowhead SpiketailZoraena obliqua320702024
Elusive ClubtailStylurus notatus220502016
Marsh BluetEnallagma ebrium26602012
Sphagnum SpriteNehalennia gracilis151402021
Northern BluetEnallagma annexum18201952
Boreal BluetEnallagma boreale14901952
Canada DarnerAeshna canadensis14101997
Saffron-winged MeadowhawkSympetrum costiferum12001953
Band-winged DragonletErythrodiplax umbrata11602014
Cherry-faced MeadowhawkSympetrum internum11401992


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 spinosus76300Jun-Jul
Springtime DarnerBasiaeschna janata46600May
Arrow ClubtailStylurus spiniceps34100late Aug-early Sep
Hagen's BluetEnallagma hageni8500Jun
Stygian ShadowdragonNeurocordulia yamaskanensis7400late 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. 61 species of Odonata have been observed here since 2008. 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 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