Fulton County

Known species: 66
Total Observations: 865
Population: 42,488
Area in Square Miles: 405
People per Square Mile: 104
Observations per Square Mile: 2.1

County iNaturalist observations

The Observed Species table provides statistical data on all odonata species that have been observed in the county. Below that is a Target Species table listing species that have not yet been documented in this county, but are likely to exist in the county. This list is data-driven by listing species records from neighboring counties.

Fulton County Ohio

Observed Species

Common NameScientific NameFulton TotalOhio TotalFulton 2023Last Sighted
Familiar BluetEnallagma civile655,111192023
Eastern ForktailIschnura verticalis6213,326162023
Eastern AmberwingPerithemis tenera598,819132023
Eastern PondhawkErythemis simplicicollis4913,870142023
Widow SkimmerLibellula luctuosa4310,352102023
Violet DancerArgia fumipennis violacea406,24762023
Halloween PennantCelithemis eponina333,628112023
Calico PennantCelithemis elisa302,752112023
Common WhitetailPlathemis lydia299,89852023
Blue DasherPachydiplax longipennis2713,16972023
Autumn MeadowhawkSympetrum vicinum266,97192023
Double-striped BluetEnallagma basidens254,31392023
Orange BluetEnallagma signatum243,184122023
Stream BluetEnallagma exsulans244,09742023
Blue-fronted DancerArgia apicalis235,69212023
Dusky DancerArgia translata221,37692023
Fragile ForktailIschnura posita2210,72782023
Prince BaskettailEpitheca princeps222,39042023
Twelve-spotted SkimmerLibellula pulchella193,37722023
Blue-tipped DancerArgia tibialis173,78502022
Slaty SkimmerLibellula incesta154,03202022
Skimming BluetEnallagma geminatum133,10962023
Black SaddlebagsTramea lacerata132,83942023
Common Green DarnerAnax junius134,14622023
Westfall's Slender BluetEnallagma traviatum westfalli131,99122023
Ebony JewelwingCalopteryx maculata137,16902020
Wandering GliderPantala flavescens121,24102022
Four-spotted SkimmerLibellula quadrimaculata928592023
Powdered DancerArgia moesta94,24722023
Swamp SpreadwingLestes vigilax654402019
Banded PennantCelithemis fasciata468422023
Cyrano DarnerNasiaeschna pentacantha427712023
Slender SpreadwingLestes rectangularis43,49202019
Azure BluetEnallagma aspersum42,11502022
Flag-tailed SpinylegDromogomphus spoliatus474302021
Royal River CruiserMacromia taeniolata453602020
Rainbow BluetEnallagma antennatum445801972
Unicorn ClubtailArigomphus villosipes31,68702021
Swamp DarnerEpiaeschna heros362002022
Aurora DamselChromagrion conditum347101946
Pronghorn ClubtailPhanogomphus graslinellus345102019
Sweetflag SpreadwingLestes forcipatus244312023
American RubyspotHetaerina americana23,76101972
Blue-ringed DancerArgia sedula22,36402020
Lancet ClubtailPhanogomphus exilis21,51802021
Dot-tailed WhitefaceLeucorrhinia intacta21,35702018
Carolina SaddlebagsTramea carolina21,04802022
Ruby MeadowhawkSympetrum rubicundulum294201991
Comet DarnerAnax longipes251502019
Emerald SpreadwingLestes dryas247902019
Sedge SpriteNehalennia irene235901956
Vesper BluetEnallagma vesperum174012023
Eastern Red DamselAmphiagrion saucium11,23001946
Shadow DarnerAeshna umbrosa11,03101945
Citrine ForktailIschnura hastata189901897
Ashy ClubtailPhanogomphus lividus187402021
Tule BluetEnallagma carunculatum149801956
Spot-winged GliderPantala hymenaea147802003
Great Blue SkimmerLibellula vibrans146702019
Russet-tipped ClubtailStylurus plagiatus130701899
Springtime DarnerBasiaeschna janata129801930
White-faced MeadowhawkSympetrum obtrusum127201956
Red SaddlebagsTramea onusta114501999
Variegated MeadowhawkSympetrum corruptum111701896
Macromia HybridMacromia pacifica x taeniolata19002018
Hagen's BluetEnallagma hageni18401956


Target Species

Target species are potential County Records - species not yet documented in the county. 'Local Obs' is Local Observations and indicates the number of times that the species has been observed in adjacent counties since 2000, and '# of Counties' is the number of adjacent counties in which those recent observations took place. Zero local observations or recent counties means the existing records are historical. 'Peak Active' is a relative description of when the species has been known to fly.

Common NameScientific NameOhio ObsLocal Obs# of CountiesPeak Active
Dusky ClubtailPhanogomphus spicatus191973early Jun
Spotted SpreadwingLestes congener731722late Aug-late Sep
Swift River CruiserMacromia illinoiensis688692Jul-Aug
Spangled SkimmerLibellula cyanea1,037352Jun
Turquoise BluetEnallagma divagans768322May-Jun
Common BaskettailEpitheca cynosura748292late May-early Jun
Band-winged MeadowhawkSympetrum semicinctum860262Jul-Aug
Midland ClubtailGomphurus fraternus802202late May-mid Jun
Amber-winged SpreadwingLestes eurinus610192Jun-Jul
Chalk-fronted CorporalLadona julia59192late May
Elegant SpreadwingLestes inaequalis479102Jun
Spatterdock DarnerRhionaeschna mutata33592Jun
Marsh BluetEnallagma ebrium6672mid Jun
DragonhunterHagenius brevistylus43962mid Jun
Blue-faced MeadowhawkSympetrum ambiguum1,2042091late Aug-mid Sep
Painted SkimmerLibellula semifasciata1,0561521May
Great SpreadwingArchilestes grandis8241161Sep
Green-striped DarnerAeshna verticalis262931Sep
Lyre-tipped SpreadwingLestes unguiculatus180391Jun-Jul
Belted WhitefaceLeucorrhinia proxima33331early Jun
Striped SaddlebagsTramea darwini33301early Oct
Lilypad ClubtailArigomphus furcifer113211early Jun
Cobra ClubtailGomphurus vastus377161Jun
Smoky RubyspotHetaerina titia346161early Sep
Golden-winged SkimmerLibellula auripennis44151late Jun
Lance-tipped DarnerAeshna constricta358141Sep
Fawn DarnerBoyeria vinosa440131Aug-Sep
Southern SpreadwingLestes australis255131May
Mocha EmeraldSomatochlora linearis192111late Jun-late Aug
Plains ClubtailGomphurus externus189111mid Jun-mid Jul
Gilded River CruiserMacromia pacifica73101late Jul
Black-tipped DarnerAeshna tuberculifera14161late Aug-early Sep
Frosted WhitefaceLeucorrhinia frigida2961early Jun
Wabash River CruiserMacromia wabashensis2561Aug
Lilypad ForktailIschnura kellicotti73351Jun-Sep
Mottled DarnerAeshna clepsydra3151Sep
Clamp-tipped EmeraldSomatochlora tenebrosa20831Aug
Handsome ClubtailGomphurus crassus17031late May-early Jun
Delta-spotted SpiketailCordulegaster diastatops13121early Jun
Elusive ClubtailStylurus notatus10121Sep
Slender BaskettailEpitheca costalis1921late May
Cherry-faced MeadowhawkSympetrum internum1421Sep
Sphagnum SpriteNehalennia gracilis37011late Jun-early Jul
Arrow ClubtailStylurus spiniceps30511late Aug-early Sep
Arrowhead SpiketailCordulegaster obliqua17211late May-early Jun
Northern SpreadwingLestes disjunctus2411Jun-Aug
Saffron-winged MeadowhawkSympetrum costiferum2011Oct
Band-winged DragonletErythrodiplax umbrata1611Jun-Aug
Little Blue DragonletErythrodiplax minuscula511Jun
Black-shouldered SpinylegDromogomphus spinosus54200Jun-Jul
Rapids ClubtailPhanogomphus quadricolor28700Jun
Rusty SnaketailOphiogomphus rupinsulensis24500Jun
Common SanddragonProgomphus obscurus14100late Jun-mid Jul
River JewelwingCalopteryx aequabilis7700early Jun
Northern BluetEnallagma annexum6500Jun
Laura's ClubtailStylurus laurae5000late Jul-early Sep
Boreal BluetEnallagma boreale4400Jun
Canada DarnerAeshna canadensis4100Sep
Skillet ClubtailGomphurus ventricosus2600Jun
Hine's EmeraldSomatochlora hineana2400Jun
Plains EmeraldSomatochlora ensigera1800Jul
Riverine ClubtailStylurus amnicola1500Aug
Variable DarnerAeshna interrupta100Sep

With the exception of a triangle-shaped area in the NW corner within the Till Plains ecoregion, the majority of Fulton County lies within the Maumee Lake Plains area of the Huron-Erie Lake Plains ecoregion, which was the location of the now mostly-drained and channelized Black Swamp. The county is entirely within the Lake Erie Watershed (See p. 11 in Ohio Coastal Atlas: Chapter 2 for a detailed watershed map).

Places to Visit

  • Fulton Pond is part of the Fulton Pond Wildlife Area. The pond is a public fishing spot. There is parking, some walking access to the water. No restrooms. 28 species have been recorded. Mostly pond skimmers and pond damsels.

  • Delta Reservoir had a large upground reservoir and two smaller water areas. Most of the Odonata are around the smaller spots where there is cover. 21 species have been recorded. There is parking and commode restroom.

  • Wauseon Reservoir has two upground reservoirs. There is parking along the road, no restroom. You can walk all around both reservoirs, the smaller (west) is better for observing Odonata. 21 sp have been documented.

  • Harrison Lake is part of the Harrison Lake State Park. Harrison Lake is an impoundment of West Fork Mill Creek. The dam is at the east end of the lake. There is good access to the lake, a variety of parking locations, and restrooms. 21 species have been recorded.

County Observation Activity

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

Page updated 18 January 2024