Marion County
Known species: 59
Total Observations: 1,264
Population: 65,905
Area in Square Miles: 404
People per Square Mile: 163
Observations per Square Mile: 2.6
Percent of State Species: 34%
Percent of State Observations: 0.5%
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 | Marion Total | Ohio Total | Marion 2024 | Last Sighted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Forktail | Ischnura verticalis | 231 | 15,992 | 13 | 2024 |
| Eastern Pondhawk | Erythemis simplicicollis | 114 | 16,365 | 7 | 2024 |
| Familiar Bluet | Enallagma civile | 70 | 6,173 | 20 | 2024 |
| Blue Dasher | Pachydiplax longipennis | 67 | 15,601 | 5 | 2024 |
| Skimming Bluet | Enallagma geminatum | 66 | 3,832 | 2 | 2024 |
| Common Whitetail | Plathemis lydia | 64 | 12,022 | 7 | 2024 |
| Blue-fronted Dancer | Argia apicalis | 61 | 6,584 | 25 | 2024 |
| Fragile Forktail | Ischnura posita | 57 | 13,199 | 3 | 2024 |
| Widow Skimmer | Libellula luctuosa | 56 | 11,931 | 11 | 2024 |
| Eastern Amberwing | Perithemis tenera | 53 | 10,887 | 5 | 2024 |
| Blue-tipped Dancer | Argia tibialis | 51 | 4,492 | 18 | 2024 |
| Halloween Pennant | Celithemis eponina | 42 | 4,187 | 6 | 2024 |
| Autumn Meadowhawk | Sympetrum vicinum | 32 | 8,456 | 19 | 2024 |
| Black Saddlebags | Tramea lacerata | 29 | 3,380 | 4 | 2024 |
| Dusky Dancer | Argia translata | 23 | 1,681 | 19 | 2024 |
| Ebony Jewelwing | Calopteryx maculata | 21 | 8,606 | 14 | 2024 |
| Common Green Darner | Anax junius | 21 | 5,160 | 0 | 2023 |
| Slender Spreadwing | Lestes rectangularis | 18 | 3,904 | 6 | 2024 |
| Blue-ringed Dancer | Argia sedula | 17 | 2,837 | 3 | 2024 |
| Orange Bluet | Enallagma signatum | 15 | 3,791 | 1 | 2024 |
| Double-striped Bluet | Enallagma basidens | 15 | 5,343 | 0 | 2023 |
| Stream Bluet | Enallagma exsulans | 14 | 4,803 | 6 | 2024 |
| Violet Dancer | Argia fumipennis violacea | 13 | 7,557 | 1 | 2024 |
| Calico Pennant | Celithemis elisa | 12 | 3,194 | 1 | 2024 |
| Westfall's Slender Bluet | Enallagma traviatum westfalli | 9 | 2,367 | 0 | 2023 |
| American Rubyspot | Hetaerina americana | 8 | 4,444 | 2 | 2024 |
| Wandering Glider | Pantala flavescens | 7 | 1,523 | 1 | 2024 |
| Twelve-spotted Skimmer | Libellula pulchella | 7 | 3,740 | 0 | 2022 |
| Swift River Cruiser | Macromia illinoiensis | 7 | 760 | 0 | 2022 |
| Swamp Spreadwing | Lestes vigilax | 6 | 608 | 0 | 2023 |
| Fawn Darner | Boyeria vinosa | 4 | 519 | 4 | 2024 |
| Slaty Skimmer | Libellula incesta | 4 | 4,920 | 1 | 2024 |
| Powdered Dancer | Argia moesta | 4 | 5,141 | 0 | 2019 |
| Ruby Meadowhawk | Sympetrum rubicundulum | 4 | 965 | 0 | 1995 |
| Sweetflag Spreadwing | Lestes forcipatus | 4 | 514 | 0 | 2023 |
| Prince Baskettail | Epitheca princeps | 3 | 2,788 | 0 | 2019 |
| Azure Bluet | Enallagma aspersum | 3 | 2,488 | 0 | 2022 |
| Great Blue Skimmer | Libellula vibrans | 2 | 501 | 2 | 2024 |
| Pronghorn Clubtail | Phanogomphus graslinellus | 2 | 503 | 1 | 2024 |
| Carolina Saddlebags | Tramea carolina | 2 | 1,263 | 0 | 2019 |
| Great Spreadwing | Archilestes grandis | 2 | 959 | 0 | 1992 |
| Turquoise Bluet | Enallagma divagans | 2 | 918 | 0 | 2023 |
| Swamp Darner | Epiaeschna heros | 2 | 715 | 0 | 2019 |
| Spot-winged Glider | Pantala hymenaea | 2 | 562 | 0 | 2018 |
| Rainbow Bluet | Enallagma antennatum | 2 | 485 | 0 | 2019 |
| Cyrano Darner | Nasiaeschna pentacantha | 2 | 321 | 0 | 1987 |
| Southern Spreadwing | Lestes australis | 2 | 284 | 0 | 2019 |
| Blue-faced Meadowhawk | Sympetrum ambiguum | 1 | 1,452 | 1 | 2024 |
| Unicorn Clubtail | Arigomphus villosipes | 1 | 2,065 | 0 | 2019 |
| Dot-tailed Whiteface | Leucorrhinia intacta | 1 | 1,702 | 0 | 1943 |
| Painted Skimmer | Libellula semifasciata | 1 | 1,208 | 0 | 1961 |
| Citrine Forktail | Ischnura hastata | 1 | 962 | 0 | 2022 |
| Band-winged Meadowhawk | Sympetrum semicinctum | 1 | 931 | 0 | 1959 |
| Flag-tailed Spinyleg | Dromogomphus spoliatus | 1 | 809 | 0 | 2018 |
| Royal River Cruiser | Macromia taeniolata | 1 | 598 | 0 | 2022 |
| Elegant Spreadwing | Lestes inaequalis | 1 | 580 | 0 | 2023 |
| Emerald Spreadwing | Lestes dryas | 1 | 567 | 0 | 2023 |
| Lyre-tipped Spreadwing | Lestes unguiculatus | 1 | 210 | 0 | 1961 |
| Furtive Forktail | Ischnura prognata | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1959 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lancet Clubtail | Phanogomphus exilis | 1,803 | 169 | 6 | early Jun |
| Shadow Darner | Aeshna umbrosa | 1,187 | 25 | 6 | Sep-Oct |
| Common Baskettail | Epitheca cynosura | 874 | 19 | 6 | late May-early Jun |
| Comet Darner | Anax longipes | 605 | 19 | 5 | mid Jun-mid Jul |
| Vesper Bluet | Enallagma vesperum | 922 | 16 | 5 | Jun |
| Ashy Clubtail | Phanogomphus lividus | 1,009 | 25 | 4 | late May-early Jun |
| Dragonhunter | Hagenius brevistylus | 589 | 7 | 4 | mid Jun |
| Amber-winged Spreadwing | Lestes eurinus | 706 | 49 | 3 | Jun-Jul |
| Dusky Clubtail | Phanogomphus spicatus | 258 | 24 | 3 | early Jun |
| Four-spotted Skimmer | Libellula quadrimaculata | 295 | 6 | 3 | Jun |
| Gilded River Cruiser | Macromia pacifica | 88 | 5 | 3 | late Jul |
| Spotted Spreadwing | Lestes congener | 860 | 55 | 2 | late Aug-late Sep |
| Spatterdock Darner | Rhionaeschna mutata | 396 | 21 | 2 | Jun |
| Aurora Damsel | Chromagrion conditum | 576 | 7 | 2 | late May-early Jun |
| Black-shouldered Spinyleg | Dromogomphus spinosus | 671 | 4 | 2 | Jun-Jul |
| Sedge Sprite | Nehalennia irene | 396 | 4 | 2 | Jun |
| Arrowhead Spiketail | Zoraena obliqua | 189 | 3 | 2 | late May-early Jun |
| Red Saddlebags | Tramea onusta | 146 | 3 | 2 | Jun-Jul |
| Slender Baskettail | Epitheca costalis | 24 | 3 | 2 | late May |
| Midland Clubtail | Gomphurus fraternus | 927 | 2 | 2 | late May-mid Jun |
| Blue Corporal | Ladona deplanata | 601 | 2 | 2 | May |
| Mocha Emerald | Somatochlora linearis | 202 | 5 | 1 | late Jun-late Aug |
| Springtime Darner | Basiaeschna janata | 374 | 3 | 1 | May |
| Black-tipped Darner | Aeshna tuberculifera | 163 | 3 | 1 | late Aug-early Sep |
| Cobra Clubtail | Gomphurus vastus | 471 | 2 | 1 | Jun |
| Eastern Red Damsel | Amphiagrion saucium | 1,420 | 1 | 1 | late May-early Jun |
| Spangled Skimmer | Libellula cyanea | 1,197 | 1 | 1 | Jun |
| Russet-tipped Clubtail | Stylurus plagiatus | 390 | 1 | 1 | Sep |
| Eastern Least Clubtail | Stylogomphus albistylus | 329 | 1 | 1 | Jun |
| White-faced Meadowhawk | Sympetrum obtrusum | 305 | 1 | 1 | Sep |
| Variegated Meadowhawk | Sympetrum corruptum | 149 | 1 | 1 | Apr-Sep |
| Macromia Hybrid | Macromia pacifica x taeniolata | 100 | 1 | 1 | late Jul-mid Aug |
| Golden-winged Skimmer | Libellula auripennis | 45 | 1 | 1 | late Jun |
| Wabash River Cruiser | Macromia wabashensis | 25 | 1 | 1 | Aug |
| Rusty Snaketail | Ophiogomphus rupinsulensis | 348 | 0 | 0 | Jun |
| Plains Clubtail | Gomphurus externus | 236 | 0 | 0 | mid Jun-mid Jul |
| Handsome Clubtail | Gomphurus crassus | 209 | 0 | 0 | late May-early Jun |
| Splendid Clubtail | Gomphurus lineatifrons | 139 | 0 | 0 | Jun |
| Marsh Bluet | Enallagma ebrium | 66 | 0 | 0 | mid Jun |
Marion County is located in the Till Plains ecoregion. The NW corner of the county is within the Lake Erie Watershed (See p. 11 in Ohio Coastal Atlas: Chapter 2 for a detailed watershed map). The southern and eastern part of the county is within the Scioto River Watershed, and is the furthest upstream of three counties that both the Scioto River and Olentangy River flow through.
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 3 January 2025