Complete Guide To The Eastern Pondhawk Dragonfly

Eastern Pondhawk Dragonfly Notes

• Eastern Pondhawk dragonflies are nearly ubiquitous near vegetated bodies of freshwater across North Carolina.
  • Male Eastern Pondhawks base their 5 square yard territories on mats of algae or vegetation (Abbott 2015) so seem to shun habitats without floating plants.
• These dragonflies are voracious predators capable to taking prey as large as themselves, up to and including individuals of their own species.
  • Eastern Pondhawk dragonflies have three large spines on each middle and hind leg that hold strong, heavy prey (Dunkle 2000).
  • Eastern Pondhawk dragonflies are also extremely efficient predators, with a very high prey-capture rate.
    • In a study that examined prey pursuit and interception in dragonflies, scientists observed that 35 out of 36 prey-capture flights performed by male Erythemis simplicicollis and Leucorrhinia intacta (Dot-tailed Whiteface dragonfly; not found in North Carolina) ended in the dragonflies successfully capturing their targets—an impressive 97% success rate (Olberg, Worthington, and Venator 2000,  https://doi.org/10.1007/s003590050015).
• Eastern Pondhawk dragonflies are easy to spot and identify in the wild, thanks to their size, abundance, bold coloration, and habit of perching out in the open, on the ground, and on only 4 out of their 6 legs.
• These dragonflies are also very fun to watch.
  • Unlike some dragonflies, Eastern Pondhawk dragonflies are active from early morning to dusk.
  • Observers have an excellent chance of seeing an Eastern Pondhawk chase down, kill, and eat prey.
  • Male Eastern Pondhawk dragonflies defend their territories against rival males in a unique way known as “cartwheeling”.
    • Males chase each other in tall, vertical circles up to a dozen times (Dunkle 2000) instead of chasing each other horizontally. These cartwheeling contests end when one of the males breaks out of the loop and flies off, sometimes with the winning male in hot pursuit of a meal.