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A Half Dozen Dragonflies You Could See at Homer Lake Forest Preserve (if you are *really* paying attention)

This is the advanced sequel to A Dozen Dragonflies You Can See at Homer Lake Forest Preserve. That guide provides photos and brief descriptions of the twelve dragonfly species a visitor to Homer Lake is most likely to observe. However, to date forty species of dragonflies have been documented at the Homer Lake Forest Preserve, so here are another six that it is often possible to observe at Homer Lake if you're in the right place at the right time and paying attention. To help those that are interested, this guide will go into more specifics as to the "right place and right time" since seeing these six species requires a bit more effort -- or luck -- than the first dozen. At the bottom of this page is a link to a complete checklist of all dragonflies documented at the Homer Lake Preserve.

If you've looked through the first guide, you know that eleven of the twelve most common species at Homer Lake are of the Skimmer family of dragonflies. The twelfth is of the Darner family. The six species described in this guide each represent one of six dragonfly families (including another skimmer and another darner) and so a brief description of each family is included. In North America there are only seven dragonfly families, so six out of seven all at the Homer Lake Preserve is a good introduction!

The Spiketail Family

The spiketails are named for the long ovipositor of the females used for jabbing eggs into the bottom or edges of shallow wooded streams. This is a small family with only nine species in North America and represented by only one species in Champaign County, the arrowhead spiketail.

1. Arrowhead Spiketails:  Common to all spiketail species and in contrast to the other dragonfly families, the large eyes touch each other only at one point (1). The arrowhead spiketails are named for the yellow arrowhead pattern running most of the length of the abdomen (2). Male arrowhead spiketails can be seen flying along either of the two small creeks found at the Homer Lake Preserve -- one that is not much more than a trickle running into the lake with a small bridge over it at the start of the Timberdoodle Trail and the other a larger creek that runs through the woods and joins the Salt Fork River not too far from the Salt Fork Canoe launch. Females might be spotted jabbing eggs into either of these creeks with a motion often described as being like the action of a sewing machine needle bobbing up and down. My records of them at Homer Lake have all been during the month of June. I suspect they may be viewed into July as well, but June may be the safest bet. From the larger creek that flows into the Salt Fork River they sometimes venture into the field adjacent to the Salt Fork Canoe Launch foraging for food and might be seen "hanging up" there as in the photo above. The cover photo at the top of this page is of a male arrowhead spiketail hanging up along the tiny trickle near the bridge on the Timberdoodle Trail.

The Skimmer Family

The skimmers are covered in much greater detail in the first guide. Unlike the majority of the skimmer species featured in the first guide, which are readily found in abundance in bright sun around lakes and ponds, the representative species here favors the same wooded streams that the arrowhead spiketails prefer or secluded shady woodland pools. As with most other skimmers, the mature males and females are sexually dimorphic though males start their adult lives with the same color pattern as the females.

2. Immature Male Great Blue Skimmer: Male and female great blue skimmers start their adult lives with the color pattern above. The eyes are a lovely chestnut brown as are the markings on the front of the thorax (1). All four wings have dark wingtips as well as an enlarged dark area at the midpoint of the front of each wing (2). The abdomen is yellow with a black streak down the middle and black edging between each abdominal segment (3). These are the largest skimmer species we have, so their size as well as their preference for wooded streams as opposed to lakes and ponds is also a clue for identification. Look for them along the same wooded creeks where you look for arrowhead spiketails, as well as near the slough adjacent to the wooded trail at Hidden Acres.
Mature Male Great Blue Skimmer: Male great blue skimmers, similar to many other male skimmers, develop a waxy pale blue coloration as they mature, potentially resembling mature male eastern pondhawks, but the wing markings noted for the females and immature males (1) remain the same, the mature male great blue skimmer has a white face (2) while the male eastern pondhawk has a green face, and the great blue skimmer has dark appendages (3) in contrast to the eastern pondhawk's white appendages. In addition, the larger size and preferred woodland stream or habitat of the great blue skimmer help to identify it.

The Cruiser Family

The cruisers are a dragonfly family represented by only nine species in North America. Two species have been documented at the Homer Lake Forest Preserve with the one featured below much more likely to be observed. Cruisers, like darners, are fliers, meaning they are much more likely to be seen on the wing than hanging up. As the family name may suggest, cruisers are known for flying long, regular beats along shorelines, but also along trails and roads. They are large, dark dragonflies with varying amounts of yellow markings. The males of many cruiser species have clubbed tails, meaning that the end of the abdomen is expanded.

3. Male Swift River Cruiser: Swift river cruisers, like all other members of the cruiser family, have a single stripe on the sides under their wings (1). They are large black dragonflies with bright green eyes (2). Swift river cruisers vary in the number of abdominal segments with paired yellow markings but typically have the largest yellow mark on the top of segment seven (3). Male swift river cruisers, like the one pictured above, show an expanded end to their abdomen visible just below arrow (3). You are most likely to observe these dragonflies "cruising" along trails or roads, usually at waist-height or a bit lower. They fly quite purposefully along these paths, often back and forth long distances, so if one passes you in one direction don't be surprised to see it return in the other direction. They go by quickly but you will often be able to identify them by their size, speed and the splashes of yellow on black. At the Homer Lake Preserve, I have seen them flying along the trails around the wetland, near the canoe launch on the Salt Fork River and over the grassy area and the adjacent trail at Hidden Acres. They will also be seen cruising along the Salt Fork River since that is where the females lay their eggs.

The Emerald Family

Emeralds take their name from the bright green eyes common to many species in the family. They tend to be brown in color with some yellow markings, smaller than cruisers and more slender than most skimmers. Emerald species can be quite challenging to tell apart, but this one of the four emerald species documented at the Homer Lake Preserve is quite distinctive in the patterning of its wings.

4. Male Prince Baskettail: The bright green eyes of the prince baskettail (1) are a good hint that you're looking at an emerald. As noted above, cruisers also often have bright green eyes, but the extensive wing markings of the prince baskettail (2) as well as its smaller size and more irregular flight patterns set it apart from any cruisers. There are at least three other members of the emerald family of dragonflies at Homer Lake, but the extensive wing markings also set the prince baskettails apart from them as well. At most, other emerald species have small dark areas on the wings right next to their bodies. The extensive wing markings of the prince baskettail are similar to those found in some of the skimmer species seen in the first guide, but the bright green emerald eyes and the less stout abdomen together with the fact that most skimmers are "perchers" whereas emeralds are "flyers" are all good indications that you are observing a prince baskettail. Males of this species can often be seen flying tirelessly back and forth over edges of the lake darting off to chase other males out of their territory as they look for females to appear and are often among the first dragonflies of the morning in these areas to be so active. They appear to prefer patrolling along the lakeshore over other bodies of water at the preserve, but I have seen them hunting prey overhead near the wetland and the pond at Hidden Acres. From below the wing pattern and behavior -- actively hunting on the wing versus perching and flying off to catch prey and returning to the perch -- are enough to identify these handsome dragonflies.

The Darner Family

The darners were introduced in the first guide, where they were represented by the common green darner. They are a family of large solid dragonflies that, like the cruisers and emeralds, are "fliers" and spend the majority of their time in the air foraging for food or patrolling territories in a suitable habitat for females of their species to lay eggs.

5. Male Cyrano Darner: Cyrano darners are named after Cyrano de Bergerac, known for his large nose. Though dragonflies don't have noses, the notably larger than usual front of this species' face (1) is the inspiration for the name. Male cyrano darners have been seen patrolling over the pond at Hidden Acres, over wooded edges of Homer Lake itself, and at the mouth of the creek that empties into the Salt Fork River near the Salt Fork canoe launch. Like other members of the darner family, they are most likely to be seen in the air, but a good look (or decent photo) as they fly by may confirm their identity by the size of the "nose" alone. (The photo above was taken after the dragonfly was caught for documentation purposes before it flew off again.)

The Clubtail Family

The clubtail family of dragonflies is second only to the skimmer family in terms of the number of species; however, they are not nearly as showy as the skimmers and much less likely to be noticed. Like most skimmers, clubtails are "perchers," meaning that they spend their time perched strategically waiting for prey or a mate to fly by. As the family name suggests, many of the clubtail species feature males with a flared or expanded end (or "tail") to their abdomens. In some species this is also true of the females. All clubtail dragonflies have their eyes widely separated and not touching, which is unique among the six dragonfly families presented here. Six species of clubtail have been documented in various habitats at the Homer Lake Preserve. The representative presented here is one of the more distinctive, but spotting any of the clubtail species definitely deserves extra credit points on your dragonfly homework!

6. Male Rusty Snaketail: The rusty snaketail -- let's just get this out of the way -- clearly has one of the coolest dragonfly names among the species found at Homer Lake. All clubtail species have widely separated eyes (1) in contrast to the other dragonfly families present at Homer Lake. Males of this species, as in many other clubtail species, have a pronounced club at the end of the abdomen (2), which is less obvious in females. In contrast to other clubtail species at Homer Lake, this species has a fairly plain green thorax (3) and a distinctive pattern on top of the abdomen (4). I do not see this species at the Homer Lake Preserve every year -- I believe the fact that their nymphs inhabit the river leaves them vulnerable to being swept away during flooding events. When I have seen them though it has been in the grassy area adjacent to the pond at Hidden Acres and in the grassy area near the canoe launch on the Salt Fork River.

Additional Resources

Related video

  • A female spiketail dragonfly laying eggs -- see the characteristic sewing machine needle bobbing action described above. (Look to the left of the red flag in the video.)
  • A mocha emerald dragonfly catching dinner -- This dragonfly captures and devours nine insects in less than twelve seconds! The video plays in actual speed followed by 1/10 speed for a chance to see what is happening. (Note that this is NOT the emerald species described above, but a different member of the emerald family that can also be found at Homer Lake.)

Where can I learn more about dragonflies?

  • A Dozen Dragonflies You Can See at Homer Lake Forest Preserve is more basic and highlights twelve of the more common dragonfly species found at Homer Lake as well as an FAQ about dragonflies with more video links. Check it out if you haven't already seen it.
  • Checklist of Dragonfly Species observed at the Homer Lake Forest Preserve -- the complete list of dragonfly species I've observed at the Homer Lake Preserve so far.
  • 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 the guides 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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Credits:

Photos and Text by Doug Mills