Darke County is located along the Indiana border, in the Till Plains ecoregion. Darke Co is a large county, the major land use is agriculture. Darke Co has the headwaters for Stillwater River, Greenville Creek, and a number of small feeders for the Wabash River and the Mississinewa River. Greenville Creek joins the Stillwater in Miami Co, and are tributaries of the Great Miami River. The Wabash flows north, the Mississinewa flows west into Indiana.

Places to Visit

• Darke Co Wildlife Area

  DCWA has 6 small lakes and ponds. These are all fishing spots. Expect the typical stillwater skimmers and damselflies. 35 species are recorded for the area. There is good off-road parking and mowed paths. There are no restrooms.

• Greenville Creek

  • Greenville Creek is a high quality stream with a number of access points. Several Clubtail and River Cruiser species can be seen in season. Stillwater River Water Trail Map shows access points, and facilities for Greenville Creek

  • A popular stop is Bear's Mill, good viewing from the dam area. Good parking and restrooms when the Mill is open. Bear's Mill is now part of Darke Co Parks.

  • Alice Bish Park has access to Greenville Creek with parking and walking paths.

• Shawnee Prairie Preserve

  Shawnee Prairie has a wet prairie area and access to Mud Creek. Beaver Wetlands is nearby. Diverse habitat supports a diverse Odonata mix. 29 species have been found here. Shawnee Prairies is part of Darke Co Parks. There is parking and restrooms.

County Observation Activity

This graph shows the total number of odonata observations for the county in blue, with the average for all Ohio counties in orange. The season is divided into 10 or 11 day segments by Month – basically early-month, mid-month, and late-month.