Warren County

Known species: 82
Total Observations: 4,372
Population: 219,160
Area in Square Miles: 401
People per Square Mile: 539
Observations per Square Mile: 5.5
Percent of State Species: 47%
Percent of State Observations:
1.4%

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.

Warren County Ohio

Observed Species

Common NameScientific NameWarren TotalOhio TotalWarren 2025Last Sighted
Eastern ForktailIschnura verticalis54618,5491442025
Double-striped BluetEnallagma basidens3966,256902025
Eastern PondhawkErythemis simplicicollis38319,534712025
Eastern AmberwingPerithemis tenera30412,693542025
Blue DasherPachydiplax longipennis28918,692672025
Widow SkimmerLibellula luctuosa27414,355602025
Fragile ForktailIschnura posita27115,432672025
Common WhitetailPlathemis lydia14514,243392025
Blue-fronted DancerArgia apicalis1347,716122025
Autumn MeadowhawkSympetrum vicinum10310,59372025
Familiar BluetEnallagma civile937,430132025
Slaty SkimmerLibellula incesta885,911102025
Ebony JewelwingCalopteryx maculata8610,08452025
Halloween PennantCelithemis eponina865,02852025
Orange BluetEnallagma signatum754,380302025
Common Green DarnerAnax junius696,289142025
Black SaddlebagsTramea lacerata674,110272025
Powdered DancerArgia moesta656,02672025
Blue-tipped DancerArgia tibialis605,37452025
Skimming BluetEnallagma geminatum554,46192025
American RubyspotHetaerina americana475,25032025
Spangled SkimmerLibellula cyanea391,30472025
Pronghorn ClubtailPhanogomphus graslinellus34566212025
Twelve-spotted SkimmerLibellula pulchella344,08032025
Azure BluetEnallagma aspersum332,863102025
Prince BaskettailEpitheca princeps323,26482025
Carolina SaddlebagsTramea carolina321,44422025
Stream BluetEnallagma exsulans295,54342025
Dusky DancerArgia translata281,96252025
Violet DancerArgia fumipennis violacea268,693112025
Blue-faced MeadowhawkSympetrum ambiguum251,92682025
Flag-tailed SpinylegDromogomphus spoliatus2593912025
Unicorn ClubtailArigomphus villosipes242,314102025
Spatterdock DarnerRhionaeschna mutata2144372025
Slender SpreadwingLestes rectangularis214,79742025
Citrine ForktailIschnura hastata181,23852025
Eastern RingtailErpetogomphus designatus1824032025
Arrowhead SpiketailZoraena obliqua1720772025
Midland ClubtailGomphurus fraternus171,01242025
Westfall's Slender BluetEnallagma traviatum westfalli172,58932025
Calico PennantCelithemis elisa173,70612025
Comet DarnerAnax longipes16724112025
Amber-winged SpreadwingLestes eurinus1575902024
Blue-ringed DancerArgia sedula143,41602024
Lilypad ForktailIschnura kellicotti13961102025
Blue CorporalLadona deplanata1369612025
Common BaskettailEpitheca cynosura121,06722025
Banded PennantCelithemis fasciata1197702022
Wandering GliderPantala flavescens101,90332025
Sweetflag SpreadwingLestes forcipatus1060532025
Ruby MeadowhawkSympetrum rubicundulum1099102019
Fawn DarnerBoyeria vinosa1061501993
DragonhunterHagenius brevistylus972912025
Spotted SpreadwingLestes congener81,06912025
Cobra ClubtailGomphurus vastus748612025
Painted SkimmerLibellula semifasciata71,35502024
Springtime DarnerBasiaeschna janata646601993
Swift River CruiserMacromia illinoiensis583712025
Royal River CruiserMacromia taeniolata567912025
Great SpreadwingArchilestes grandis51,13302024
Spot-winged GliderPantala hymenaea566702024
Southern SpreadwingLestes australis432932025
Band-winged MeadowhawkSympetrum semicinctum41,10602023
Black-shouldered SpinylegDromogomphus spinosus476302016
Swamp DarnerEpiaeschna heros384912025
Sedge SpriteNehalennia irene341402021
Red SaddlebagsTramea onusta219922025
Gray PetaltailTachopteryx thoreyi249402021
White-faced MeadowhawkSympetrum obtrusum238302024
Mocha EmeraldSomatochlora linearis226301960
Shadow DarnerAeshna umbrosa11,35302023
Ashy ClubtailPhanogomphus lividus11,15002021
Turquoise BluetEnallagma divagans11,04302021
Vesper BluetEnallagma vesperum199902022
Swift SetwingDythemis velox159202022
Rainbow BluetEnallagma antennatum154002020
Four-spotted SkimmerLibellula quadrimaculata129702023
Clamp-tipped EmeraldSomatochlora tenebrosa125101962
Variegated MeadowhawkSympetrum corruptum117002020
Twin-spotted SpiketailZoraena maculata19901994
Uhler's SundragonHelocordulia uhleri16801962
Slender BaskettailEpitheca costalis12802024


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
Cyrano DarnerNasiaeschna pentacantha366487mid Jun
Great Blue SkimmerLibellula vibrans513856Jun-Jul
Russet-tipped ClubtailStylurus plagiatus4613854Sep
Rapids ClubtailPhanogomphus quadricolor445994Jun
Arrow ClubtailStylurus spiniceps341334late Aug-early Sep
Emerald SpreadwingLestes dryas708194Jun
Eastern Red DamselAmphiagrion saucium1,6001523late May-early Jun
Handsome ClubtailGomphurus crassus226473late May-early Jun
Swamp SpreadwingLestes vigilax706153Jul
Plains ClubtailGomphurus externus244123mid Jun-mid Jul
Lancet ClubtailPhanogomphus exilis2,034103early Jun
Stream CruiserMacromia transversa16343May
Tule BluetEnallagma carunculatum68533Jun-Jul
Elusive ClubtailStylurus notatus2051872Sep
Paiute DancerArgia alberta403542Jun
Seepage DancerArgia bipunctulata1,464272Jun-Jul
Smoky ShadowdragonNeurocordulia molesta1872Jun
Golden-winged SkimmerLibellula auripennis4652late Jun
Elegant SpreadwingLestes inaequalis61642Jun
Gilded River CruiserMacromia pacifica9232late Jul
Dot-tailed WhitefaceLeucorrhinia intacta1,91522early Jun
Sphagnum SpriteNehalennia gracilis514651late Jun-early Jul
Duckweed FiretailTelebasis byersi14141Jul
Brown SpiketailZoraena bilineata24791late May-early Jun
Smoky RubyspotHetaerina titia42141early Sep
Macromia HybridMacromia pacifica x taeniolata11041late Jul-mid Aug
Band-winged DragonletErythrodiplax umbrata1641Jun-Aug
Rambur's ForktailIschnura ramburii1541Jul
Stygian ShadowdragonNeurocordulia yamaskanensis7431late Jun
Lance-tipped DarnerAeshna constricta36311Sep
Jade ClubtailArigomphus submedianus12411late Jun-late Aug
Double-ringed PennantCelithemis verna6911late Jun
Striped SaddlebagsTramea darwini6011early Oct
Riverine ClubtailStylurus amnicola1511Aug
Aurora DamselChromagrion conditum70600late May-early Jun
Lyre-tipped SpreadwingLestes unguiculatus24700Jun-Jul
Skillet ClubtailGomphurus ventricosus2600Jun
Wabash River CruiserMacromia wabashensis2500Aug
Umber ShadowdragonNeurocordulia obsoleta600Jun
Taiga BluetCoenagrion resolutum400

Warren County is located in the Till Plains ecoregion.

Places to Visit

  • 60 species have been documented in Caesar Creek State Park.

  • See "Clubtails of the Great Miami" in issue 30-11 of the Ohio Dragon Flier. Includes map and suggested river access points.

  • Caesar Creek Lake Wildlife Area. Located off N. Clarksville Road, just north of the visitor center. (See map at caesarcreekparkmap.pdf (ohiodnr.gov)). There are two gravel parking lots with adequate parking. No restroom facilities but there are restrooms at the visitor center, a five-minute drive down the road. This site has a restored prairie with two large, shallow, well-vegetated wetlands. Deer ticks can be bad here, so take precautions against ticks. Spatterdock Darners patrol the wetlands in late May and June, and Flag-tailed Spinylegs can be found here in late summer. Other noteworthy species include Comet Darners, Spangled Skimmers, Banded Pennants, Blue-faced Meadowhawks, and Amber-winged and Sweetflag Spreadwings. The site is attractive to migrants such as gliders and saddlebags.

  • Great Miami River access at Franklin – located on Dayton-Oxford Rd. on the west side of the river, at GM mile marker 59.2. (See map at Water Trail - Great Miami River National Water Trail - Great Miami Riverway). There is a large, flat area of river shoreline accessible here, if the river is not too high. Parking is very limited. There is a small parking lot with about half a dozen spots. No restroom facilities. Head north from the parking area, and then follow a short trail down the embankment to the river. There is poison ivy for a short stretch along this embankment, so wearing long pants is recommended. The river bank itself is open and sunny and mostly gravel, with abundant water willow. This area is sometimes mowed by the city, but the vegetation may be quite thick in spots if not recently mowed. There are small numbers of Cobra and Midland Clubtails here in late spring & early summer, and Eastern Ringtails in late summer & early fall.

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.

Return to County List Summary Page
Page updated 13 January 2026