Wild Facts About The Blue Dasher Dragonfly
Meet The Blue Dasher Dragonfly
Gleaming emerald eyes. Black and yellow racing stripes. A powder blue abdomen. All powered by long, amber-colored wings. This is the Blue Dasher Dragonfly, a common, colorful, and fascinating dragonfly that zooms around the eastern United States.
Read on to discover how to identify this fascinating insect and some fun facts about how it lives.
Fast Facts About The Blue Dasher Dragonfly
Common Name(s) |
Blue Dasher Dragonfly |
Scientific Name |
Pachydiplax longipennis |
Animal Type |
Phylum: Arthropoda (arthropods) Class: Insecta (insects) Order: Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Family: Libellulidae (skimmer dragonflies) |
Size |
1.8 inches (4.5 cm) body length 1.7 inches (4.2 cm) hind wing length |
Appearance |
Males: Male Blue Dasher Dragonflies have bright emerald green eyes and white faces with metallic, blue-black frons. Their thoraxes are striped in yellow and black and their wings are tinted amber. Their abdomens are light blue (called pruinose) abdomens overall but segments eight through 10 are black.    Females: Female Blue Dasher Dragonflies have red-over-gray eyes that turn green with age (Paulson 2011), black and yellow striped thoraxes and clear wings. Their abdomens are black with four length-wise, yellow stripes and are shorter than those of males ((Abbott 2015).   |
Habitat |
Inland wetlands (ponds, marshes, along rivers and streams through wooded areas) and artificial aquatic habitats (farm ponds, wet pastures, water impoundments and retaining pools). Look for Blue Dasher dragonflies near standing freshwater, especially in low-lying wetlands and calm ponds. They like areas with low vegetation and sunlight. |
Diet |
Insectivore: Eats flying insects. |
Active Time |
Diurnal (day-active) |
Range |
Throughout the Eastern United States. |
Season(s) |
March through October in the southeast; all year in Florida. |
Wild Facts About The Blue Dasher Dragonfly
Easy To Spot, Easy To Watch
Blue Dasher dragonflies are one of the most common, abundant, and widely distributed dragonflies in the eastern United States. While they vary in size across their range and at different times of the year (spring adults grow the biggest Dunkle 2000), they are easy to spot in the wild. They are colorful, so they grab attention. And unlike many other dragonfly species, they perch on low branches and for long periods of time.
Like all dragonflies, Blue Dashers are determined predators. They consume up to 10% of their own body weight in prey every day ((Abbott 2015). But they target smaller insects than other dragonflies, like Common Green Darners and Eastern Pondhawks.
Brave And Bold Defenders
Male Blue Dasher dragonflies are extremely territorial, even compared to other dragonflies. They fight other males to establish and defend feeding and breeding territories. Resident males perch in conspicuous locations and watch the sky around them for encroachers. Encroaching males try to drive resident males off their territories and away from the water by flying underneath them (Dunkle 2000).
Blue Dasher Dragonflies are so territorial they will challenge pruinose blue dragonflies of other species (Paulson 2011). This is dangerous behavior as some blue dragonfly species hunt and eat their smaller dragonfly cousins.
For example, Eastern Pondhawk dragonflies (Erythemis simplicicollis) are large, blue, and live in the same habitats as Blue Dashers. Eastern Pondhawks also happen to be major predators of smaller dragonflies and happily make meals of Blue Dashers.
Despite the danger, Blue Dasher dragonflies protect their feeding and breeding territories bravely.
Small But Skilled Hunters
Blue Dasher Dragonflies hunt in relatively small areas, compared to other dragonfly species. They are less likely to course through the air for long distances, searching for prey. Instead, they perch, watch the surrounding air, then fly out to intercept prey that enters their space.
These dragonflies prefer to hunt small flying insects but they are strong and adept hunters. In some cases, they are better hunters than their larger cousins. For example, one research study found that the foraging success rate of Blue Dashers was 70% higher than that of Eastern Pondhawk dragonflies, who hunt much larger prey, forage more frequently, fly longer then hunting, and cover larger areas during foraging flights (May and Baird 2002, https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021171306468).
Conclusion
Blue Dasher dragonflies live throughout the eastern United States, and their bright blue abdomens, deep emerald eyes, and distinctive yellow and black stripes make them easy to spot in the wild. And they are worth watching.
Blue Dasher Dragonfly Photo Gallery
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