Hancock County
Known species: 81
Total Observations: 2,783
Population: 75,773
Area in Square Miles: 531
People per Square Mile: 142
Observations per Square Mile: 5.0
Percent of State Species: 47%
Percent of State Observations: 1.1%
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.
Observed Species
Common Name | Scientific Name | Hancock Total | Ohio Total | Hancock 2024 | Last Sighted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Forktail | Ischnura verticalis | 164 | 15,992 | 12 | 2024 |
| Eastern Pondhawk | Erythemis simplicicollis | 128 | 16,365 | 8 | 2024 |
| Stream Bluet | Enallagma exsulans | 124 | 4,803 | 10 | 2024 |
| Blue-fronted Dancer | Argia apicalis | 119 | 6,584 | 16 | 2024 |
| Widow Skimmer | Libellula luctuosa | 119 | 11,931 | 15 | 2024 |
| Common Whitetail | Plathemis lydia | 114 | 12,022 | 4 | 2024 |
| Blue Dasher | Pachydiplax longipennis | 113 | 15,601 | 6 | 2024 |
| Familiar Bluet | Enallagma civile | 103 | 6,173 | 0 | 2023 |
| Eastern Amberwing | Perithemis tenera | 99 | 10,887 | 6 | 2024 |
| Fragile Forktail | Ischnura posita | 93 | 13,199 | 2 | 2024 |
| Slender Spreadwing | Lestes rectangularis | 91 | 3,904 | 3 | 2024 |
| Blue-tipped Dancer | Argia tibialis | 83 | 4,492 | 7 | 2024 |
| Twelve-spotted Skimmer | Libellula pulchella | 79 | 3,740 | 2 | 2024 |
| Violet Dancer | Argia fumipennis violacea | 78 | 7,557 | 6 | 2024 |
| Ebony Jewelwing | Calopteryx maculata | 76 | 8,606 | 8 | 2024 |
| Double-striped Bluet | Enallagma basidens | 76 | 5,343 | 2 | 2024 |
| Powdered Dancer | Argia moesta | 59 | 5,141 | 2 | 2024 |
| Westfall's Slender Bluet | Enallagma traviatum westfalli | 49 | 2,367 | 0 | 2023 |
| Autumn Meadowhawk | Sympetrum vicinum | 46 | 8,456 | 4 | 2024 |
| Skimming Bluet | Enallagma geminatum | 43 | 3,832 | 0 | 2023 |
| Azure Bluet | Enallagma aspersum | 42 | 2,488 | 2 | 2024 |
| Calico Pennant | Celithemis elisa | 42 | 3,194 | 0 | 2023 |
| Rainbow Bluet | Enallagma antennatum | 38 | 485 | 1 | 2024 |
| Unicorn Clubtail | Arigomphus villosipes | 37 | 2,065 | 1 | 2024 |
| American Rubyspot | Hetaerina americana | 35 | 4,444 | 9 | 2024 |
| Common Green Darner | Anax junius | 33 | 5,160 | 3 | 2024 |
| Slaty Skimmer | Libellula incesta | 33 | 4,920 | 0 | 2023 |
| Midland Clubtail | Gomphurus fraternus | 32 | 927 | 2 | 2024 |
| Halloween Pennant | Celithemis eponina | 31 | 4,187 | 1 | 2024 |
| Blue-ringed Dancer | Argia sedula | 30 | 2,837 | 3 | 2024 |
| Dusky Dancer | Argia translata | 30 | 1,681 | 0 | 2023 |
| Emerald Spreadwing | Lestes dryas | 30 | 567 | 0 | 2023 |
| Black Saddlebags | Tramea lacerata | 28 | 3,380 | 5 | 2024 |
| Orange Bluet | Enallagma signatum | 28 | 3,791 | 1 | 2024 |
| Royal River Cruiser | Macromia taeniolata | 24 | 598 | 0 | 2023 |
| Shadow Darner | Aeshna umbrosa | 23 | 1,187 | 2 | 2024 |
| Prince Baskettail | Epitheca princeps | 23 | 2,788 | 0 | 2023 |
| Wandering Glider | Pantala flavescens | 22 | 1,523 | 3 | 2024 |
| Cyrano Darner | Nasiaeschna pentacantha | 21 | 321 | 0 | 2023 |
| Elegant Spreadwing | Lestes inaequalis | 20 | 580 | 0 | 2023 |
| Swamp Darner | Epiaeschna heros | 19 | 715 | 0 | 2023 |
| River Bluet | Enallagma anna | 19 | 20 | 0 | 2023 |
| Blue-faced Meadowhawk | Sympetrum ambiguum | 18 | 1,452 | 0 | 2022 |
| Dot-tailed Whiteface | Leucorrhinia intacta | 17 | 1,702 | 0 | 2023 |
| Common Baskettail | Epitheca cynosura | 17 | 874 | 0 | 2023 |
| Carolina Saddlebags | Tramea carolina | 16 | 1,263 | 3 | 2024 |
| Citrine Forktail | Ischnura hastata | 15 | 962 | 2 | 2024 |
| Swift River Cruiser | Macromia illinoiensis | 14 | 760 | 1 | 2024 |
| Sweetflag Spreadwing | Lestes forcipatus | 13 | 514 | 0 | 2023 |
| Ruby Meadowhawk | Sympetrum rubicundulum | 12 | 965 | 0 | 2023 |
| Great Spreadwing | Archilestes grandis | 12 | 959 | 0 | 2023 |
| Flag-tailed Spinyleg | Dromogomphus spoliatus | 12 | 809 | 0 | 2023 |
| Comet Darner | Anax longipes | 12 | 605 | 0 | 2022 |
| Turquoise Bluet | Enallagma divagans | 10 | 918 | 0 | 2023 |
| Fawn Darner | Boyeria vinosa | 10 | 519 | 0 | 2021 |
| Band-winged Meadowhawk | Sympetrum semicinctum | 9 | 931 | 0 | 2020 |
| Swamp Spreadwing | Lestes vigilax | 9 | 608 | 0 | 2022 |
| Mocha Emerald | Somatochlora linearis | 9 | 202 | 0 | 2019 |
| Spotted Spreadwing | Lestes congener | 7 | 860 | 0 | 2022 |
| Pronghorn Clubtail | Phanogomphus graslinellus | 7 | 503 | 0 | 2023 |
| Great Blue Skimmer | Libellula vibrans | 7 | 501 | 0 | 2022 |
| Vesper Bluet | Enallagma vesperum | 6 | 922 | 0 | 2023 |
| Rapids Clubtail | Phanogomphus quadricolor | 6 | 377 | 0 | 2021 |
| Lyre-tipped Spreadwing | Lestes unguiculatus | 5 | 210 | 3 | 2024 |
| Macromia Hybrid | Macromia pacifica x taeniolata | 5 | 100 | 1 | 2024 |
| Spot-winged Glider | Pantala hymenaea | 5 | 562 | 0 | 2021 |
| Four-spotted Skimmer | Libellula quadrimaculata | 5 | 295 | 0 | 2023 |
| Cobra Clubtail | Gomphurus vastus | 4 | 471 | 0 | 2023 |
| Spatterdock Darner | Rhionaeschna mutata | 4 | 396 | 0 | 2023 |
| Sedge Sprite | Nehalennia irene | 4 | 396 | 0 | 2022 |
| Southern Spreadwing | Lestes australis | 3 | 284 | 0 | 2018 |
| Gilded River Cruiser | Macromia pacifica | 3 | 88 | 0 | 2022 |
| Plains Clubtail | Gomphurus externus | 2 | 236 | 0 | 2004 |
| Slender Baskettail | Epitheca costalis | 2 | 24 | 0 | 2020 |
| Lancet Clubtail | Phanogomphus exilis | 1 | 1,803 | 0 | 2019 |
| Painted Skimmer | Libellula semifasciata | 1 | 1,208 | 0 | 2019 |
| Spangled Skimmer | Libellula cyanea | 1 | 1,197 | 0 | 2022 |
| Amber-winged Spreadwing | Lestes eurinus | 1 | 706 | 0 | 2022 |
| White-faced Meadowhawk | Sympetrum obtrusum | 1 | 305 | 0 | 2015 |
| Clamp-tipped Emerald | Somatochlora tenebrosa | 1 | 217 | 0 | 1960 |
| Variegated Meadowhawk | Sympetrum corruptum | 1 | 149 | 0 | 2019 |
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 Name | Scientific Name | Ohio Obs | Local Obs | # of Counties | Peak Active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashy Clubtail | Phanogomphus lividus | 1,009 | 2 | 2 | late May-early Jun |
| Red Saddlebags | Tramea onusta | 146 | 2 | 2 | Jun-Jul |
| Handsome Clubtail | Gomphurus crassus | 209 | 13 | 1 | late May-early Jun |
| Aurora Damsel | Chromagrion conditum | 576 | 3 | 1 | late May-early Jun |
| Wabash River Cruiser | Macromia wabashensis | 25 | 2 | 1 | Aug |
| Dragonhunter | Hagenius brevistylus | 589 | 1 | 1 | mid Jun |
| Springtime Darner | Basiaeschna janata | 374 | 1 | 1 | May |
| Dusky Clubtail | Phanogomphus spicatus | 258 | 1 | 1 | early Jun |
| Golden-winged Skimmer | Libellula auripennis | 45 | 1 | 1 | late Jun |
| Skillet Clubtail | Gomphurus ventricosus | 26 | 1 | 1 | Jun |
| Black-shouldered Spinyleg | Dromogomphus spinosus | 671 | 0 | 0 | Jun-Jul |
| Russet-tipped Clubtail | Stylurus plagiatus | 390 | 0 | 0 | Sep |
| Lance-tipped Darner | Aeshna constricta | 361 | 0 | 0 | Sep |
| Marsh Bluet | Enallagma ebrium | 66 | 0 | 0 | mid Jun |
| Northern Spreadwing | Lestes disjunctus | 24 | 0 | 0 | Jun-Aug |
| Saffron-winged Meadowhawk | Sympetrum costiferum | 20 | 0 | 0 | Oct |
| Cherry-faced Meadowhawk | Sympetrum internum | 14 | 0 | 0 | Sep |
The northern 1/3 of Hancock County is 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 southern 2/3 of the county is in the Till Plains. The Blanchard River, which has its headwaters to the south in Hardin County, crosses the eastern part of the county from south to north, making a 90 degree turn to the west close to Findlay, draining into the Maumee watershed and Lake Erie. 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
Blanchard River Water Trail. Provides detailed map showing river, nearby trails, adjacent parks, and facilities.
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.
Page updated 2 January 2025