Flight season: weather permitting, migrants from the south can arrive as early as mid-April,
and it's not unusual to see some still flying in late October.
Population: one of our most common darners, widespread and found near any pond, lake or marsh.
Generally seen foraging over open areas such as fields.
Length: about 75 mm to 85 mm.
Given its large size, lime green thorax and lilac (females and immature males) or blue (mature males) abdomen
this dragonfly is unlikely to be confused with other local darner species,
and can be identified even in flight at a distance.
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Tweed, Ontario, about ½ km west of town, a marsh bordering the trans-Canada Trail:
typical local marsh with Cattails, sedges and other emergent vegetation, various small willows, alders, dogwoods and some Tamarack.
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Images of an immature male Common Green Darner (Anax junius) and its claspers
(August 07, 2010).
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Images of another immature male Common Green Darner (Anax junius)
depicting the distinctive "bull's-eye" on top of the head
and the dorsal aspect of its claspers
(August 30, 2010).
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Stoco Fen, east of Tweed on East Hungerford Road:
relatively little open water compared to a marsh.
Wetland supporting sedges, orchids, Bog Labrador Tea, Pitcher Plants
and other fen indicator species, trees are mainly Tamarack and Eastern White Cedar.
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Teneral male Common Green Darner (Anax junius)
August 06, 2012
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Tweed, Ontario, near intersection of the trans-Canada Trail and River Street:
trees and shrubs to the north side of the trail, a moist meadow supporting wildflowers to the south.
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Mature male Common Green Darner (Anax junius)
September 15, 2014
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East of Tweed, Ontario, near the intersection of Lajoie Rd. and the trans-Canada Trail:
a shady wooded area, with clearings both natural and created by the trail supporting grasses and wildflowers, the lagoon lies nearby to the northwest.
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Teneral female Common Green Darner (Anax junius)
August 05, 2014
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West of Tweed, Ontario, a high and dry field bordering the trans-Canada Trail:
a dry field with sandy soil, drought tolerant grasses and wildflowers, Sweetfern, and Rubus spp.
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Female Common Green Darner (Anax junius)
October 14, 2014
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Like all odonates, Common Green Darners are fearless opportunistic predators and will capture and consume almost anything they can overpower, including members of their own species.
This immature male has dispatched a female Lance-tipped Darner nearly its own size (August 25, 2015).
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East of Tweed, along the trans-Canada Trail:
deciduous woodland with clearings created by the trans-Canada Trail, Stoco Lake nearby to the south.
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Male Common Green Darner (Anax junius)
June 09, 2016
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Tweed, Ontario, the north shore Stoco Lake, east of the boat pier:
marshy shoreline, relatively shallow water with mud bottom supporting sedges and rushes, pondweeds, Fragrant Water Lily, Blue Flag, Sagittaria spp and Pickerelweed.
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Male Common Green Darner (Anax junius) –
consuming a male Blue Dasher
(August 07, 2016).
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