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A Dozen Dragonflies You Can See At Homer Lake Forest Preserve (if you're paying attention)

Skimmers

Skimmers are one of seven dragonfly families found in North America. Most colorful dragonflies easily observed around lakes, ponds and wetlands are skimmers, including eleven of the twelve species shown below. Males typically find a strategic place to perch at the edge of a body of water to watch for females and to chase other males out of their territory. They often return to the same perch, which makes them fairly easy to observe. Most skimmer species are sexually dimorphic, meaning that mature males and females are very different in appearance. The male skimmers of these species start with the female color pattern and then develop the male color pattern as they mature. You will see that for many of them this includes the formation of a waxy light blue or whitish covering over all or most of their bodies.

Most of the skimmers described here can be found along the edges of Homer Lake, the wetland, Collins Pond and the pond at Hidden Acres during the summer months. Exceptions are noted below.

1. Immature Male Eastern Pondhawk: Female and immature male eastern pondhawks can be recognized by the bright green body with dark markings on top of the abdomen (1) and the white-colored terminal appendages (2).
Maturing Male Eastern Pondhawk: This individual is still showing some of the green and black of its immature stage. Soon, however, the whole body will become powder blue in color (1), a trait shared in varying degrees with the males of many other skimmer species as they mature. However, the white-colored terminal appendages (2) remain white and are a good diagnostic for this species in both sexes. Male eastern pondhawks can often be seen sitting directly on the green surface of lakes or ponds.
2. Immature Male Blue Dasher: Look for yellow stripes on the front and side of thorax (1) as well as distinctive parallel broken stripes running most of the length of the top of the abdomen (2). Transparent amber-colored patches at the base of all four wings are also a good field mark for this species (3). Females have this color pattern as well.
Mature Male Blue Dasher: The abdomen has largely become powder-blue but it has a black tip (1). The stripes on the front and sides of the thorax remain (2) as does the amber coloration at the base of each wing (3). Mature male blue dashers can often be seen facing each other in the air at the edges of pond or lake with their tail tips bent upward to display the black tip.
3. Newly Emerged Female Twelve-Spotted Skimmer: The three spots on each wing (1) will become darker with maturity. Note also the unbroken yellow stripes on the sides of the abdomen (2). This is the color pattern of immature males as well.
Mature Male Twelve-Spotted Skimmer: The three black spots on each wing remain, but now there is a white spot between each pair of black spots (1) giving the wings a checkerboard look. The abdomen has developed the pale blue color (2) common to many mature male skimmers. Male twelve-spotted skimmers are often prominent at the wetland.
4. Female Widow Skimmer: Unbroken yellow lines along each side of the abdomen (1) but in contrast to the twelve-spotted skimmer join between the wings and continue to just behind the head (2). One large black area on all four wings, directly adjacent to the body (3). Immature male widow skimmers look the same.
Mature Male Widow Skimmer: Like so many other mature male skimmers, the male widow skimmer develops a pale blue or whitish coloration over much of its body (1), but the wide black band on all four wings adjacent to the body is still there (2) and is joined by a thick white band next to it on each wing (3).
5. Female Common Whitetail: Similar to female and immature male twelve-spotted skimmers, the female common whitetail has three black splotches on each wing (1) but the pattern is different. The broken light-colored lines on the abdomen (2) contrast with the solid yellow lines of twelve-spotted skimmers and is perhaps an easier distinction than the differing pattern on the wings. Immature male common whitetails have the same color pattern on their bodies, but their wings are marked differently.
Mature Male Common Whitetail: The bright white abdomen (1) develops with maturity as does the small area of white on the hindwings (2). As noted above, the black pattern on the wings (3) differs from the female wing pattern from the start. Common whitetails perch on flat surfaces more frequently than most other skimmers.
6. Black Saddlebags: Males and females are not appreciably different. The black saddlebags has a distinctive large black area only on the hindwings adjacent to the body (1). Yellow markings on top of the abdomen (2) may not always appear. These dragonflies are migratory and unlike most skimmers spend more time actively flying than perching so you are most likely to see them in flight-- males flying patrols over lakes or ponds or either sex on the wing in open areas flying gracefully then suddenly grabbing something to eat before resuming a more casual and graceful flight.
7. Female Slaty Skimmer:  The unbroken yellow stripes joining and extending to the head along with the dark wingtips (1) are very similar to female and immature male widow skimmers; however, the wings are otherwise clear (2) as opposed to the black band on each wing adjacent to the body of the widow skimmers. Immature male slaty skimmers share this female color pattern. I do not often see female or immature male slaty skimmers at the Homer Lake Forest Preserve, but mature males are common at the wetland and the pond at Hidden Acres.
Mature Male Slaty Skimmer: Dark to very dark uniform blue bodies and dark eyes. In some light they may be mistaken for mature male eastern pondhawks, which are a lighter uniform blue, but the slaty skimmer's wingtips are dark (1) as are the terminal appendages (2). Look for slaty skimmers at the wetland or the pond at Hidden Acres.
8. Immature Male Spangled Skimmer: Despite the yellow stripe pattern similar to widow and slaty skimmers, the bright white of the bicolored stigmas (1) on all four wings is all that is needed to identify this species. The Homer Lake wetland is the only place I've seen the spangled skimmer in Champaign County and it was reported as a new county record here in 2020.
Male Spangled Skimmer: The common pale blue coloration develops with maturity but all that is needed to identify this species is the bright white of the stigmas on the four wings (1), which is the source of this species' common name. So far the only place this species has been seen in the county is at the Homer Lake wetland.
9. Immature Male Blue-Faced Meadowhawk: Meadowhawks are small dragonflies and the three meadowhawk species commonly at the wetland are similar in appearance. The blue-faced is the easiest one to identify with certainty. The female/immature male color pattern above is the only one of the common meadowhawk species at the wetland to have extensive black on the top of the abdomen (1). Many meadowhawk species take advantage of wetlands that are not wet all year by laying eggs on dry ground in the late summer and early fall where there will be water after the fall rains and winter snow. This gives their offspring an early start on developing when the weather warms up. Because of their specialized life cycle, the only place at the Homer Lake Forest Preserve to see the meadowhawks is the wetland. They are typically present in mid to late summer into the fall.
Mature Male Blue-Faced Meadowhawk: The other commonly resident male meadowhawks are also red but the mature male blue-faced meadowhawk continues to have the distinction of a significant amount of black on top of the abdomen (1). More obvious though is the blue-face for which the species is named (2). The meadowhawk pictured here is "obelisking." This is a common behavior of the skimmer and clubtail families of dragonflies where they point their abdomens toward the sun to minimize direct sun exposure in order to minimize the risk of overheating on a hot day.
10. Mature Male Carolina Saddlebags: Male and female Carolina saddlebags start out tannish in color but look similar to each other when mature. A close relative to the black saddlebags, the Carolina saddlebags is also migratory and spends much of its time in the air, though perhaps not as much as the black saddlebags. The large red area on the hindwings adjacent to the body (1) is the inspiration for the saddlebags name. Why not the "red saddlebags?" That name is already taken by another species very similar to this one. The extensive black on the sides of the 8th abdominal segment (2) helps identify this one as a Carolina saddlebags, but not all Carolina saddlebags have that easy mark. There are other ways of distinguishing them but for now it's enough to know that at Homer Lake the Carolina saddlebags are more commonly seen. I have seen them especially at the wetland, but also at Collins Pond and the pond at Hidden Acres. They are among the first dragonflies to be seen because they migrate from the south before local dragonflies have emerged in the Spring.
11. Female Eastern Amberwing: You can identify this dragonfly by size alone. It is the smallest dragonfly in all of Central Illinois at only about one inch long. Females typically have patterned wings (1) and males have solid amber-colored wings from the start, so immature males do not look like the female. This species is common along the shoreline of Homer Lake and at the pond at Hidden Acres.
Male Eastern Amberwing: In addition to the distinctive small size of this species, males have the clear amber wings the species is named for (1). Males can often be seen in groups along the shoreline of Homer Lake or the pond at Hidden Acres hovering in front of each other or chasing each other before settling on the surface scum or on emergent rocks or plants.

Darners

The darner family of dragonflies consists of large robust dragonflies which, unlike nearly all of the skimmers, are "fliers" rather than "perchers," which means they spend the majority of their active hours on the wing whether searching for food or males patrolling for mates. Although several darner species occur at the Homer Lake Forest Preserve, only one makes it into the top twelve most likely to be seen.

12. Female Common Green Darner: Both male and female common green darners have a blue-yellow-black "bulls-eye" mark in front of their eyes (1). Both male and females have solid green thoraxes (2). Mature females have a dark brown strip down the top of the abdomen and most have a pale beige color on the sides of the abdomen (3). In common with many other darner species, there are some females that share the coloration of the males. The common green darner is larger than any of the skimmers above and the first dragonfly to appear here each year. They are strong fliers and migrate from the south before any of the local dragonflies have emerged arriving as early as late March. They can be seen flying over fields and prairies, sometimes in large numbers, all the way into September as they stop for food during their southward migration (the title photo at the top of this page shows three common green darners feeding over the Homer Lake wetland).
Mature Male Common Green Darner: Common green darners, like other darners, are "fliers," so you are most likely to see them in the air. The solid green thorax (1) and sky blue color on the sides of the abdomen (2) can generally be seen well enough to identify the common green darner in flight -- especially if you have the sun at your back. The photo here is of a male common green darner patrolling at the Homer Lake Wetland.

FAQ

What's the difference between a dragonfly and a damselfly? Dragonflies and damselflies are closely related suborders of the insect order "odonata." Here is a one-minute video quickly showing the differences between dragonflies and damselflies.

How many different kinds of dragonflies are there? There are around 3000 dragonfly species in the world, but new species are still being discovered. There are 300-some species in the United States and just over 100 have been documented in the State of Illinois.

How many kinds of dragonflies are there at the Homer Lake Forest Preserve? The current count is 40 different species of dragonflies documented at the Homer Lake Forest Preserve! Here are a couple of videos about dragonflies at Homer Lake created in 2020 when only 32 dragonfly species had been documented at the Preserve. This video is a quick look at some of the many dragonflies at Homer Lake -- many of which are featured above. This video introduces the six dragonfly families represented at the Homer Lake Preserve.

When is the best time to see dragonflies? Migratory dragonflies begin arriving in our area from the south as early as late March but the local dragonfly population begins emerging from our ponds, lakes and streams somewhat later -- the earliest perhaps in late April with the dragonfly population in full swing by late May or early June. The abundance and variety of dragonfly species in our area begins to taper off by late summer and the last migratory dragonflies have usually passed through our area by sometime in October. Some dragonfly species are around for the whole summer while other species are early and others late in the season. In terms of time of day, many dragonflies will not be active on cooler cloudy days because they need the sun to warm their flight muscles. Likewise, very windy and especially rainy days are not good days for observing dragonflies.

Do dragonflies sting or bite? Dragonflies do not sting and most of them are too small to bite people. A large dragonfly, if handled, may nip at a finger but very few species can cause pain. Dragonflies do not pursue or attack people!

Where do dragonflies come from? Dragonflies (and damselflies) undergo incomplete metamorphosis. Probably the most familiar example of incomplete metamorphosis are the cicadas which crawl out of the ground each summer and leave their shells behind when the winged adults emerge. Immature dragonflies and damselflies, called nymphs or naiads, do the same except they crawl out of the water to transform to winged adults. Here is a video about the amazing transition from naiad to adult dragonfly.

What do dragonflies eat? Both the immature dragonflies (naiads) and the adult dragonflies are voracious and spectacularly successful predators. Here is video of a common green darner naiad preying on a mosquito larva and here is video of a feeding swarm of common green darners snatching prey insects out of the air. Both videos have slow motion replays, so keep watching!

Where can I learn more about dragonflies?

  • A(nother) Half Dozen Dragonflies You Could See at Homer Lake Forest Preserve is a follow-up to this guide with another six species a little more challenging to observe but worth the effort if you're into it!
  • The Stokes Beginner's Guide to Dragonflies is a small format relatively inexpensive field guide to common dragonflies and damselflies and one of two books I used as a reference when I first became interested in dragonflies.
  • Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East by Dennis Paulson is generally the first book I turn to now and includes all known species of dragonfly and damselfly in roughly the eastern half of the U.S and Canada (and yes, there is a volume for the West as well). This is the book I used to factcheck myself for this guide to Homer Lake Dragonflies.
  • There are many fine regional guides available for specific areas of the United States as well as other countries. Unfortunately, there is currently no published guidebook for Illinois and the one for Indiana is no longer in print.

About Me: I have been an East Central Illinois Master Naturalist since 2006 but have had what I would call a God-given fascination with all things nature since my youth. Dragonflies have been my special fascination for many years now and I enjoy documenting dragonfly diversity for the Champaign County Forest Preserves as well as a number of other natural areas in nearby counties.

Created By
Douglas Mills
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Photos and Text by Doug Mills