Paulding County
Known species: 93
Total Observations: 1,562
Population: 19,254
Area in Square Miles: 416
People per Square Mile: 46
Observations per Square Mile: 3.1
Percent of State Species: 54%
Percent of State Observations: 0.5%
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 | Paulding Total | Ohio Total | Paulding 2025 | Last Sighted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue-fronted Dancer | Argia apicalis | 85 | 7,716 | 24 | 2025 |
| Familiar Bluet | Enallagma civile | 79 | 7,430 | 6 | 2025 |
| Powdered Dancer | Argia moesta | 63 | 6,026 | 30 | 2025 |
| Blue Dasher | Pachydiplax longipennis | 61 | 18,692 | 16 | 2025 |
| Eastern Forktail | Ischnura verticalis | 59 | 18,549 | 4 | 2025 |
| Lance-tipped Darner | Aeshna constricta | 54 | 363 | 0 | 1965 |
| Blue-tipped Dancer | Argia tibialis | 52 | 5,374 | 12 | 2025 |
| Eastern Amberwing | Perithemis tenera | 51 | 12,693 | 18 | 2025 |
| Eastern Pondhawk | Erythemis simplicicollis | 45 | 19,534 | 11 | 2025 |
| Slaty Skimmer | Libellula incesta | 43 | 5,911 | 27 | 2025 |
| Stream Bluet | Enallagma exsulans | 43 | 5,543 | 5 | 2025 |
| Slender Spreadwing | Lestes rectangularis | 41 | 4,797 | 24 | 2025 |
| Widow Skimmer | Libellula luctuosa | 41 | 14,355 | 8 | 2025 |
| Mocha Emerald | Somatochlora linearis | 40 | 263 | 0 | 1959 |
| Fragile Forktail | Ischnura posita | 39 | 15,432 | 13 | 2025 |
| Black Saddlebags | Tramea lacerata | 37 | 4,110 | 2 | 2025 |
| Common Whitetail | Plathemis lydia | 36 | 14,243 | 1 | 2025 |
| American Rubyspot | Hetaerina americana | 35 | 5,250 | 4 | 2025 |
| Flag-tailed Spinyleg | Dromogomphus spoliatus | 33 | 939 | 0 | 2022 |
| Ruby Meadowhawk | Sympetrum rubicundulum | 29 | 991 | 0 | 2020 |
| Royal River Cruiser | Macromia taeniolata | 29 | 679 | 0 | 2023 |
| Autumn Meadowhawk | Sympetrum vicinum | 28 | 10,593 | 0 | 2022 |
| Double-striped Bluet | Enallagma basidens | 28 | 6,256 | 0 | 2024 |
| Swift River Cruiser | Macromia illinoiensis | 26 | 837 | 0 | 2019 |
| Common Green Darner | Anax junius | 25 | 6,289 | 0 | 2024 |
| Twelve-spotted Skimmer | Libellula pulchella | 25 | 4,080 | 0 | 2024 |
| Pronghorn Clubtail | Phanogomphus graslinellus | 25 | 566 | 0 | 1983 |
| Midland Clubtail | Gomphurus fraternus | 24 | 1,012 | 0 | 2024 |
| Rainbow Bluet | Enallagma antennatum | 19 | 540 | 0 | 2019 |
| Great Blue Skimmer | Libellula vibrans | 17 | 513 | 0 | 2021 |
| Cobra Clubtail | Gomphurus vastus | 17 | 486 | 0 | 1953 |
| Plains Clubtail | Gomphurus externus | 16 | 244 | 0 | 1957 |
| Plains Emerald | Somatochlora ensigera | 15 | 18 | 0 | 1951 |
| White-faced Meadowhawk | Sympetrum obtrusum | 14 | 383 | 0 | 1960 |
| Wandering Glider | Pantala flavescens | 13 | 1,903 | 0 | 2024 |
| Spot-winged Glider | Pantala hymenaea | 13 | 667 | 0 | 1949 |
| Skimming Bluet | Enallagma geminatum | 12 | 4,461 | 2 | 2025 |
| Blue-faced Meadowhawk | Sympetrum ambiguum | 12 | 1,926 | 0 | 1950 |
| Prince Baskettail | Epitheca princeps | 10 | 3,264 | 1 | 2025 |
| Russet-tipped Clubtail | Stylurus plagiatus | 10 | 461 | 0 | 1960 |
| Violet Dancer | Argia fumipennis violacea | 9 | 8,693 | 1 | 2025 |
| Halloween Pennant | Celithemis eponina | 9 | 5,028 | 0 | 2021 |
| Dot-tailed Whiteface | Leucorrhinia intacta | 8 | 1,915 | 0 | 2021 |
| Painted Skimmer | Libellula semifasciata | 8 | 1,355 | 0 | 1948 |
| Shadow Darner | Aeshna umbrosa | 8 | 1,353 | 0 | 1962 |
| Citrine Forktail | Ischnura hastata | 8 | 1,238 | 0 | 2024 |
| Band-winged Meadowhawk | Sympetrum semicinctum | 8 | 1,106 | 0 | 1958 |
| Spotted Spreadwing | Lestes congener | 7 | 1,069 | 1 | 2025 |
| Calico Pennant | Celithemis elisa | 7 | 3,706 | 0 | 2019 |
| Wabash River Cruiser | Macromia wabashensis | 7 | 25 | 0 | 1961 |
| Azure Bluet | Enallagma aspersum | 6 | 2,863 | 0 | 2022 |
| Emerald Spreadwing | Lestes dryas | 6 | 708 | 0 | 2020 |
| Fawn Darner | Boyeria vinosa | 6 | 615 | 0 | 1991 |
| Sedge Sprite | Nehalennia irene | 6 | 414 | 0 | 1954 |
| Green-striped Darner | Aeshna verticalis | 6 | 395 | 0 | 1951 |
| Cyrano Darner | Nasiaeschna pentacantha | 6 | 366 | 0 | 2024 |
| Lyre-tipped Spreadwing | Lestes unguiculatus | 6 | 247 | 0 | 1951 |
| Orange Bluet | Enallagma signatum | 5 | 4,380 | 2 | 2025 |
| Red Saddlebags | Tramea onusta | 5 | 199 | 2 | 2025 |
| Unicorn Clubtail | Arigomphus villosipes | 5 | 2,314 | 0 | 2020 |
| Carolina Saddlebags | Tramea carolina | 5 | 1,444 | 0 | 2022 |
| Common Baskettail | Epitheca cynosura | 5 | 1,067 | 0 | 2020 |
| Common Sanddragon | Progomphus obscurus | 5 | 171 | 0 | 1955 |
| Variegated Meadowhawk | Sympetrum corruptum | 5 | 170 | 0 | 1957 |
| Ebony Jewelwing | Calopteryx maculata | 4 | 10,084 | 0 | 2019 |
| Blue-ringed Dancer | Argia sedula | 4 | 3,416 | 0 | 1996 |
| Dusky Dancer | Argia translata | 4 | 1,962 | 0 | 2023 |
| Amber-winged Spreadwing | Lestes eurinus | 4 | 759 | 0 | 2021 |
| Smoky Rubyspot | Hetaerina titia | 4 | 421 | 0 | 1959 |
| Southern Spreadwing | Lestes australis | 4 | 329 | 0 | 1949 |
| Swamp Darner | Epiaeschna heros | 3 | 849 | 0 | 2020 |
| Black-shouldered Spinyleg | Dromogomphus spinosus | 3 | 763 | 0 | 1991 |
| Riverine Clubtail | Stylurus amnicola | 3 | 15 | 0 | 1960 |
| Georgia River Cruiser | Macromia illinoiensis georgina | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1956 |
| Westfall's Slender Bluet | Enallagma traviatum westfalli | 2 | 2,589 | 0 | 2024 |
| Turquoise Bluet | Enallagma divagans | 2 | 1,043 | 0 | 2023 |
| Comet Darner | Anax longipes | 2 | 724 | 0 | 2019 |
| Macromia Hybrid | Macromia pacifica x taeniolata | 2 | 110 | 0 | 2023 |
| Gilded River Cruiser | Macromia pacifica | 2 | 92 | 0 | 1961 |
| Hagen's Bluet | Enallagma hageni | 2 | 85 | 0 | 1947 |
| Saffron-winged Meadowhawk | Sympetrum costiferum | 2 | 20 | 0 | 1952 |
| Spangled Skimmer | Libellula cyanea | 1 | 1,304 | 0 | 2019 |
| Great Spreadwing | Archilestes grandis | 1 | 1,133 | 0 | 1962 |
| Vesper Bluet | Enallagma vesperum | 1 | 999 | 0 | 2021 |
| Dragonhunter | Hagenius brevistylus | 1 | 729 | 0 | 1950 |
| Aurora Damsel | Chromagrion conditum | 1 | 706 | 0 | 1944 |
| Elegant Spreadwing | Lestes inaequalis | 1 | 616 | 0 | 2020 |
| Sweetflag Spreadwing | Lestes forcipatus | 1 | 605 | 0 | 1950 |
| Arrow Clubtail | Stylurus spiniceps | 1 | 341 | 0 | 1950 |
| Eastern Ringtail | Erpetogomphus designatus | 1 | 240 | 0 | 1954 |
| Marsh Bluet | Enallagma ebrium | 1 | 66 | 0 | 1958 |
| Cherry-faced Meadowhawk | Sympetrum internum | 1 | 14 | 0 | 1954 |
| Taiga Bluet | Coenagrion resolutum | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1945 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lancet Clubtail | Phanogomphus exilis | 2,034 | 26 | 1 | early Jun |
| Four-spotted Skimmer | Libellula quadrimaculata | 297 | 6 | 1 | Jun |
| Dusky Clubtail | Phanogomphus spicatus | 298 | 5 | 1 | early Jun |
| Jade Clubtail | Arigomphus submedianus | 124 | 3 | 1 | late Jun-late Aug |
| Ashy Clubtail | Phanogomphus lividus | 1,150 | 1 | 1 | late May-early Jun |
| Banded Pennant | Celithemis fasciata | 977 | 0 | 0 | Jul |
| Swamp Spreadwing | Lestes vigilax | 706 | 0 | 0 | Jul |
| Handsome Clubtail | Gomphurus crassus | 226 | 0 | 0 | late May-early Jun |
| Lilypad Clubtail | Arigomphus furcifer | 153 | 0 | 0 | early Jun |
| Boreal Bluet | Enallagma boreale | 49 | 0 | 0 | Jun |
| Canada Darner | Aeshna canadensis | 41 | 0 | 0 | Sep |
| Skillet Clubtail | Gomphurus ventricosus | 26 | 0 | 0 | Jun |
Paulding County is located on the Indiana border. It 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. Watercourses include the Auglaize River, Flatrock Creek (Auglaize River tributary), Little Auglaize River and the Maumee River. See p. 11 in Ohio Coastal Atlas: Chapter 2 for a detailed watershed map.
Places to Visit
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