Jefferson County
Known species: 65
Total Observations: 856
Population: 67,964
Area in Square Miles: 408
People per Square Mile: 166
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 it. This list is data-driven by listing species records from neighboring counties.
Observed Species
Common Name | Scientific Name | Jefferson Total | Ohio Total | Jefferson 2023 | Last Sighted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violet Dancer | Argia fumipennis violacea | 59 | 6,247 | 7 | 2023 |
| Blue Dasher | Pachydiplax longipennis | 58 | 13,169 | 8 | 2023 |
| Eastern Pondhawk | Erythemis simplicicollis | 57 | 13,870 | 9 | 2023 |
| Widow Skimmer | Libellula luctuosa | 56 | 10,352 | 10 | 2023 |
| Eastern Forktail | Ischnura verticalis | 52 | 13,326 | 24 | 2023 |
| Common Whitetail | Plathemis lydia | 47 | 9,898 | 3 | 2023 |
| Double-striped Bluet | Enallagma basidens | 41 | 4,313 | 11 | 2023 |
| Ebony Jewelwing | Calopteryx maculata | 34 | 7,169 | 1 | 2023 |
| Eastern Amberwing | Perithemis tenera | 32 | 8,819 | 8 | 2023 |
| Fragile Forktail | Ischnura posita | 30 | 10,727 | 13 | 2023 |
| Lancet Clubtail | Phanogomphus exilis | 24 | 1,518 | 4 | 2023 |
| Dusky Dancer | Argia translata | 23 | 1,376 | 0 | 2022 |
| Dot-tailed Whiteface | Leucorrhinia intacta | 19 | 1,357 | 11 | 2023 |
| Blue-ringed Dancer | Argia sedula | 18 | 2,364 | 1 | 2023 |
| Fawn Darner | Boyeria vinosa | 18 | 440 | 1 | 2023 |
| Prince Baskettail | Epitheca princeps | 17 | 2,390 | 7 | 2023 |
| Skimming Bluet | Enallagma geminatum | 17 | 3,109 | 2 | 2023 |
| Autumn Meadowhawk | Sympetrum vicinum | 15 | 6,971 | 1 | 2023 |
| Black Saddlebags | Tramea lacerata | 14 | 2,839 | 3 | 2023 |
| Halloween Pennant | Celithemis eponina | 14 | 3,628 | 2 | 2023 |
| Orange Bluet | Enallagma signatum | 13 | 3,184 | 5 | 2023 |
| Common Green Darner | Anax junius | 13 | 4,146 | 4 | 2023 |
| Slender Spreadwing | Lestes rectangularis | 12 | 3,492 | 1 | 2023 |
| Familiar Bluet | Enallagma civile | 12 | 5,111 | 0 | 2022 |
| Eastern Red Damsel | Amphiagrion saucium | 11 | 1,230 | 4 | 2023 |
| Powdered Dancer | Argia moesta | 11 | 4,247 | 2 | 2023 |
| Ashy Clubtail | Phanogomphus lividus | 11 | 874 | 0 | 2019 |
| American Rubyspot | Hetaerina americana | 10 | 3,761 | 0 | 2020 |
| Unicorn Clubtail | Arigomphus villosipes | 8 | 1,687 | 4 | 2023 |
| Calico Pennant | Celithemis elisa | 8 | 2,752 | 1 | 2023 |
| Twelve-spotted Skimmer | Libellula pulchella | 7 | 3,377 | 1 | 2023 |
| Spangled Skimmer | Libellula cyanea | 6 | 1,037 | 2 | 2023 |
| Aurora Damsel | Chromagrion conditum | 6 | 471 | 1 | 2023 |
| Stream Bluet | Enallagma exsulans | 6 | 4,097 | 0 | 2019 |
| Eastern Least Clubtail | Stylogomphus albistylus | 6 | 262 | 0 | 2018 |
| Azure Bluet | Enallagma aspersum | 5 | 2,115 | 1 | 2023 |
| Shadow Darner | Aeshna umbrosa | 5 | 1,031 | 1 | 2023 |
| Great Spreadwing | Archilestes grandis | 4 | 824 | 2 | 2023 |
| Band-winged Meadowhawk | Sympetrum semicinctum | 4 | 860 | 0 | 2022 |
| Comet Darner | Anax longipes | 3 | 515 | 1 | 2023 |
| Blue-fronted Dancer | Argia apicalis | 3 | 5,692 | 0 | 2022 |
| Blue-tipped Dancer | Argia tibialis | 3 | 3,785 | 0 | 2022 |
| Ruby Meadowhawk | Sympetrum rubicundulum | 3 | 942 | 0 | 1997 |
| Swamp Spreadwing | Lestes vigilax | 3 | 544 | 0 | 2019 |
| Spotted Spreadwing | Lestes congener | 2 | 731 | 2 | 2023 |
| Springtime Darner | Basiaeschna janata | 2 | 298 | 1 | 2023 |
| Delta-spotted Spiketail | Cordulegaster diastatops | 2 | 131 | 1 | 2023 |
| Westfall's Slender Bluet | Enallagma traviatum westfalli | 2 | 1,991 | 0 | 2019 |
| Wandering Glider | Pantala flavescens | 2 | 1,241 | 0 | 2018 |
| Common Baskettail | Epitheca cynosura | 2 | 748 | 0 | 1961 |
| Black-shouldered Spinyleg | Dromogomphus spinosus | 2 | 542 | 0 | 2021 |
| Dragonhunter | Hagenius brevistylus | 2 | 439 | 0 | 2018 |
| Gray Petaltail | Tachopteryx thoreyi | 2 | 390 | 0 | 2019 |
| Stream Cruiser | Didymops transversa | 2 | 121 | 0 | 1965 |
| Riffle Snaketail | Ophiogomphus carolus | 2 | 35 | 0 | 1983 |
| Sweetflag Spreadwing | Lestes forcipatus | 1 | 443 | 1 | 2023 |
| Turquoise Bluet | Enallagma divagans | 1 | 768 | 0 | 2019 |
| Swift River Cruiser | Macromia illinoiensis | 1 | 688 | 0 | 1940 |
| Rainbow Bluet | Enallagma antennatum | 1 | 458 | 0 | 1961 |
| Cobra Clubtail | Gomphurus vastus | 1 | 377 | 0 | 1940 |
| Arrow Clubtail | Stylurus spiniceps | 1 | 305 | 0 | 1983 |
| Clamp-tipped Emerald | Somatochlora tenebrosa | 1 | 208 | 0 | 1983 |
| Arrowhead Spiketail | Cordulegaster obliqua | 1 | 172 | 0 | 1941 |
| Twin-spotted Spiketail | Cordulegaster maculata | 1 | 90 | 0 | 1941 |
| Northern Pygmy Clubtail | Lanthus parvulus | 1 | 7 | 0 | 1983 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slaty Skimmer | Libellula incesta | 4,032 | 36 | 4 | Jul |
| Painted Skimmer | Libellula semifasciata | 1,056 | 6 | 4 | May |
| Vesper Bluet | Enallagma vesperum | 740 | 22 | 3 | Jun |
| Lilypad Forktail | Ischnura kellicotti | 733 | 66 | 2 | Jun-Sep |
| Carolina Saddlebags | Tramea carolina | 1,048 | 12 | 2 | late May-early Jun |
| Tule Bluet | Enallagma carunculatum | 498 | 8 | 2 | Jun-Jul |
| Citrine Forktail | Ischnura hastata | 899 | 4 | 2 | Jun-Aug |
| Midland Clubtail | Gomphurus fraternus | 802 | 4 | 2 | late May-mid Jun |
| Amber-winged Spreadwing | Lestes eurinus | 610 | 4 | 2 | Jun-Jul |
| Royal River Cruiser | Macromia taeniolata | 536 | 4 | 2 | late Jul-Aug |
| Swamp Darner | Epiaeschna heros | 620 | 3 | 2 | late May-early Jun |
| Rusty Snaketail | Ophiogomphus rupinsulensis | 245 | 7 | 1 | Jun |
| Spatterdock Darner | Rhionaeschna mutata | 335 | 2 | 1 | Jun |
| Tiger Spiketail | Cordulegaster erronea | 106 | 2 | 1 | Jul |
| Emerald Spreadwing | Lestes dryas | 479 | 1 | 1 | Jun |
| Spot-winged Glider | Pantala hymenaea | 478 | 1 | 1 | Jul |
| Rapids Clubtail | Phanogomphus quadricolor | 287 | 1 | 1 | Jun |
| Green-striped Darner | Aeshna verticalis | 262 | 1 | 1 | Sep |
| Red Saddlebags | Tramea onusta | 145 | 1 | 1 | Jun-Jul |
| Black-tipped Darner | Aeshna tuberculifera | 141 | 1 | 1 | late Aug-early Sep |
| Elegant Spreadwing | Lestes inaequalis | 479 | 0 | 0 | Jun |
| Sedge Sprite | Nehalennia irene | 359 | 0 | 0 | Jun |
| Lance-tipped Darner | Aeshna constricta | 358 | 0 | 0 | Sep |
| Southern Spreadwing | Lestes australis | 255 | 0 | 0 | May |
| Hagen's Bluet | Enallagma hageni | 84 | 0 | 0 | Jun |
| Northern Spreadwing | Lestes disjunctus | 24 | 0 | 0 | Jun-Aug |
| Umber Shadowdragon | Neurocordulia obsoleta | 6 | 0 | 0 | Jun |
Jefferson County lies along the Ohio River and is located in the Unglaciated Allegheny Plateau. Much of the county, especially the southern part,was strip mined and has been mostly reclaimed.
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