(Anax junius)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Biology • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status |
|
|||||||
IUCN Red List | LC - Least Concern |
|||||||
NatureServe | N5 - Secure SNR - Unranked |
|||||||
Minnesota | not listed |
|||||||
Description |
||
Common green darner is a large, common dragonfly. It is 2⅔″ to 3⅛″ long, averaging 3″ long. It is the most common darner in North America. There is a black spot enclosed by a medium to dark blue semi-circle that forms a “bull’s eye” spot in front of the eyes. The eyes are medium brown, the color of milk chocolate, with a yellow rear (posterior) rim. The thorax is bright green and is not striped. The abdomen is thick compared to other darners. The male abdomen has a dark purple top (dorsal) stripe and wide, bright blue side (lateral) stripes. The lateral stripes change to green toward the rear. The base of segment 3 (S3), the long and narrow segment close to the thorax, is white. When in flight, the abdomen is carried straight. The female abdomen is similar but with grayish-green lateral stripes. In cool weather the lateral stripes of both sexes fade to the same color as the dorsal stripe. S2 is the last segment to fade. Immature individuals of both sexes have a brownish-red abdomen. On the male the pair of appendages at the end of the abdomen (cerci) have a pointed spine at the outer corner. The wingspan is up to 4⅜″. The wings are clear and have a small yellow area near the tip. The hindwing triangle and the forewing triangle are the same size. |
||
Size |
||
2⅔″ to 3⅛″ long |
||
Similar Species |
||
No similar species | ||
Habitat |
||
Ponds, lakes, and slow streams with vegetation. |
||
Biology |
||
Season |
||
Mid-April to mid-October |
||
Behavior |
||
Adults have an irregular territory which they patrol about three feet above the ground. They perch vertically. |
||
Life Cycle |
||
Juveniles in Canada and the northern Unites States flock together in the fall and migrate south, following the north shore of Lake Superior for part of their route. Radio tagging has shown that they fly as much as 87 miles in a day. American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) migrate at the same time using the same route, and may use the darner migration as a food source during their migration. There is also a resident population that overwinters as larvae. The migrant population reproduces in the southern United States and their offspring migrate north in the spring. Eggs are deposited inside the stem of emergent vegetation below the waterline. This is the only darner that lays eggs while the male and female are still in tandem. The naiads take several years to mature. When they mature they crawl up an emergent plant and an adult emerges at night. |
||
Naiad Food |
||
Tadpoles, small fish, mosquito larvae, fly larvae, mayfly larvae, and freshwater shrimp. |
||
Adult Food |
||
Midges, mosquitoes, caddis flies, flies, butterflies, moths, stoneflies, and mayflies. |
||
Distribution |
||||
Sources |
||||
9/4/2022 | ||||
Occurrence |
||||
Common |
||||
Taxonomy |
|||
Order |
Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) | ||
Suborder |
Epiprocta | ||
Infraorder | Anisoptera (dragonflies) | ||
Superfamily |
Aeshnoidea | ||
Family |
Aeshnidae (darners) | ||
Genus |
Anax (green darners) | ||
Synonyms |
|||
|
|||
Common Names |
|||
common green darner |
|||
Glossary
Cercus
One of a pair of small sensory appendages at the end of the abdomen of many insects and other arthropods. In Odonata, one of the upper pair of claspers. Plural: cerci.
Visitor Photos |
|||||
Share your photo of this insect. |
|||||
This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Attach one or more photos and, if you like, a caption. |
|||||
Tim Holtan |
|||||
backyard |
|||||
![]() |
![]() |
||||
![]() |
![]() |
||||
Lori Herfurth |
|||||
![]() |
![]() |
||||
![]() |
|||||
Greg Watson |
|||||
While you have several photos of the common green darner on your site, none of them show the dragonfly in the “wheel formation”. I took this picture on the Wagon Wheel Trail in La Crescent, MN on May 26, 2021. Thanks for your excellent web page. I use it often to help identify the things I take pictures of. |
![]() |
||||
Judy & Larry Ahlbrecht |
|||||
Yesterday I woke up to this beautiful dragonfly on my screen and it remained there till dark. Looking it up, I am sure it is a Green Darner. | ![]() |
||||
Alfredo Colon |
|||||
![]() |
![]() |
||||
![]() |
![]() |
||||
![]() |
![]() |
||||
![]() |
|||||
Bob Ford |
|||||
![]() |
|||||
Kirk Nelson |
|||||
![]() |
|||||
Dan W. Andree |
|||||
It was resting on a thin branch of a tree. Almost looked like a hanging dragonfly ornament. |
|||||
![]() |
|||||
Stuart Ackman |
|||||
seen by our neighbor. Beautiful creature. |
|||||
![]() |
|||||
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
|||||
Female or juvenile |
|||||
![]() |
|||||
Male on a cool morning or juvenile male; note the blue on S2. |
|||||
![]() |
![]() |
||||
![]() |
|||||
Claspers |
|||||
![]() |
|||||
Visitor Videos |
|||
Share your video of this insect. |
|||
This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Attach a video, a YouTube link, or a cloud storage link. |
|||
Dan W. Andree |
|||
"Cyclopean Looking Dragonfly Head" Published on Mar 7, 2016 |
|||
About
Interesting head markings on this dragonfly especially up close. |
|||
Other Videos |
|||
Common Green Darner Dragonfly (Aeshnidae: Anax junius) Female, Close-up Carl Barrentine |
|||
About
Published on May 28, 2012 Photographed at Fisher, Minnesota (28 May 2012). |
|||
Green Darner Dragonfly (Aeschnidae: Anax junius) Dorsal Close-up Carl Barrentine |
|||
About
Uploaded on Aug 17, 2011 Photographed at Grand Forks, North Dakota (17 August 2011). |
|||
Common Green Darner Dragonfly (Aeschnidae: Anax junius) Lateral View Carl Barrentine |
|||
About
Uploaded on Aug 27, 2011 Photographed at the Grand Forks, North Dakota (24 August 2011). |
|||
COMMON GREEN DARNERS MATING Victor Trapp |
|||
About
Published on May 5, 2013 FOR WWW.MRTRAPP.ORG WEBSITE |
|||
Visitor Sightings |
|||||
Report a sighting of this insect. |
|||||
This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Be sure to include a location. |
|||||
Tim Holtan 9/2/2022 |
Location: Saint Paul (Dayton’s Bluff) backyard |
![]() |
|||
Lori Herfurth 8/26/2022 |
Location: Franklin Mn |
![]() |
|||
Greg Watson 5/26/2021 |
Location: Wagon Wheel Trail, La Crescent, MN While you have several photos of the common green darner on your site, none of them show the dragonfly in the “wheel formation”. I took this picture on the Wagon Wheel Trail in La Crescent, MN on May 26, 2021. Thanks for your excellent web page. I use it often to help identify the things I take pictures of. |
||||
Heather Packer 4/6/2021 |
Location: West Newton-Kellogg, MN |
||||
Judy & Larry Ahlbrecht 8/31/2020 |
Location: Nelson Minnesota, Douglas Co. Yesterday I woke up to this beautiful dragonfly on my screen and it remained there till dark. Looking it up, I am sure it is a Green Darner. |
||||
Alfredo Colon 10/16/2019 |
Location: Woodbury, MN |
||||
Bob Ford 9/25/2019 |
Location: Andover MN |
||||
Alfredo Colon 8/8/2019 |
Location: Woodbury, Minnesota |
||||
Marie Freed 7/28/2019 |
Location: Rockville MN resting on the leaves of the morning glory vines in my yard |
||||
Kirk Nelson 9/10/2018 |
Location: Sunfish Lake Park, Lake Elmo, MN |
||||
Dan W. Andree 1/31/2018 |
Location: Near a pond in Norman co. Mn. It was resting on a thin branch of a tree. Almost looked like a hanging dragonfly ornament. |
||||
Stuart Ackman 8/22/2017 |
Location: Orono, MN seen by our neighbor. Beautiful creature. |
||||
Chris Blowers 9/3/2015 |
Location: Kanabec ounty just saw your map had Kanabec County white. but today I ran into one for the first time so you can fill Kanabec in. |
||||
John Valo 9/5/2015 |
Common green darner has been recorded in all of the surrounding counties two counties deep. It is unlikely that the dragonfly is not found in Kanabec County. However, the map is created using only the sources listed and verified sightings. For a sighting to be verified it must include a photo sufficient to identify the species. Send us a photo of common green darner taken in Kanabec County and the county will be filled in on the map. |
||||
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
|||||
Avon Hills Forest SNA, North Unit Bertram Chain of Lakes Regional Park Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center Clifton E. French Regional Park Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park Kellogg Weaver Dunes SNA, Kellogg Weaver Unit Margherita Preserve-Audubon Prairie Minnesota Valley NWR, Rapids Lake Unit Minnesota Valley NWR, Wilkie Unit Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area, Lawrence Unit Mound Spring Prairie SNA, North Unit Mound Spring Prairie SNA, South Unit Northern Tallgrass Prairie NWR, Touch the Sky Prairie Unit Pembina Trail Preserve SNA, Crookston Prairie Unit Prairie Creek WMA, Koester Prairie Unit Richard M. & Mathilde Rice Elliott SNA Robert Ney Memorial Park Reserve Sand Prairie Wildlife Management and Environmental Education Area Verlyn Marth Memorial Prairie SNA |
|||||
Last Updated: