Richland County
Known species: 78
Total Observations: 1,149
Population: 121,773
Area in Square Miles: 495
People per Square Mile: 243
Observations per Square Mile: 2.1
Percent of State Species: 45%
Percent of State Observations: 0.4%
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 | Richland Total | Ohio Total | Richland 2024 | Last Sighted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Forktail | Ischnura verticalis | 106 | 15,992 | 7 | 2024 |
| Common Whitetail | Plathemis lydia | 96 | 12,022 | 17 | 2024 |
| Blue Dasher | Pachydiplax longipennis | 70 | 15,601 | 14 | 2024 |
| Eastern Pondhawk | Erythemis simplicicollis | 67 | 16,365 | 10 | 2024 |
| Fragile Forktail | Ischnura posita | 59 | 13,199 | 15 | 2024 |
| Stream Bluet | Enallagma exsulans | 58 | 4,803 | 0 | 2023 |
| Eastern Amberwing | Perithemis tenera | 55 | 10,887 | 11 | 2024 |
| Ebony Jewelwing | Calopteryx maculata | 47 | 8,606 | 10 | 2024 |
| Autumn Meadowhawk | Sympetrum vicinum | 46 | 8,456 | 10 | 2024 |
| Slaty Skimmer | Libellula incesta | 44 | 4,920 | 14 | 2024 |
| Widow Skimmer | Libellula luctuosa | 41 | 11,931 | 3 | 2024 |
| Violet Dancer | Argia fumipennis violacea | 33 | 7,557 | 3 | 2024 |
| Blue-tipped Dancer | Argia tibialis | 29 | 4,492 | 7 | 2024 |
| Rainbow Bluet | Enallagma antennatum | 29 | 485 | 0 | 2023 |
| Slender Spreadwing | Lestes rectangularis | 22 | 3,904 | 0 | 2022 |
| Twelve-spotted Skimmer | Libellula pulchella | 22 | 3,740 | 0 | 2022 |
| Common Green Darner | Anax junius | 21 | 5,160 | 2 | 2024 |
| Tule Bluet | Enallagma carunculatum | 18 | 569 | 1 | 2024 |
| Familiar Bluet | Enallagma civile | 15 | 6,173 | 1 | 2024 |
| Unicorn Clubtail | Arigomphus villosipes | 15 | 2,065 | 0 | 2023 |
| Great Blue Skimmer | Libellula vibrans | 15 | 501 | 0 | 2022 |
| Skimming Bluet | Enallagma geminatum | 14 | 3,832 | 2 | 2024 |
| Fawn Darner | Boyeria vinosa | 14 | 519 | 1 | 2024 |
| Azure Bluet | Enallagma aspersum | 13 | 2,488 | 0 | 2022 |
| Halloween Pennant | Celithemis eponina | 12 | 4,187 | 6 | 2024 |
| Prince Baskettail | Epitheca princeps | 12 | 2,788 | 1 | 2024 |
| Blue-fronted Dancer | Argia apicalis | 12 | 6,584 | 0 | 2022 |
| Dot-tailed Whiteface | Leucorrhinia intacta | 10 | 1,702 | 1 | 2024 |
| Double-striped Bluet | Enallagma basidens | 10 | 5,343 | 0 | 2023 |
| Sweetflag Spreadwing | Lestes forcipatus | 10 | 514 | 0 | 2022 |
| Orange Bluet | Enallagma signatum | 9 | 3,791 | 2 | 2024 |
| Westfall's Slender Bluet | Enallagma traviatum westfalli | 9 | 2,367 | 2 | 2024 |
| Black Saddlebags | Tramea lacerata | 8 | 3,380 | 1 | 2024 |
| Ruby Meadowhawk | Sympetrum rubicundulum | 7 | 965 | 0 | 2019 |
| Aurora Damsel | Chromagrion conditum | 7 | 576 | 0 | 2023 |
| Shadow Darner | Aeshna umbrosa | 6 | 1,187 | 0 | 2023 |
| Springtime Darner | Basiaeschna janata | 5 | 374 | 2 | 2024 |
| Powdered Dancer | Argia moesta | 4 | 5,141 | 0 | 2021 |
| Eastern Red Damsel | Amphiagrion saucium | 4 | 1,420 | 0 | 1942 |
| Painted Skimmer | Libellula semifasciata | 4 | 1,208 | 0 | 2017 |
| Elegant Spreadwing | Lestes inaequalis | 4 | 580 | 0 | 2022 |
| Calico Pennant | Celithemis elisa | 3 | 3,194 | 0 | 2019 |
| Dusky Dancer | Argia translata | 3 | 1,681 | 0 | 2018 |
| Wandering Glider | Pantala flavescens | 3 | 1,523 | 0 | 2022 |
| Citrine Forktail | Ischnura hastata | 3 | 962 | 0 | 2013 |
| Great Spreadwing | Archilestes grandis | 3 | 959 | 0 | 2015 |
| Turquoise Bluet | Enallagma divagans | 3 | 918 | 0 | 2023 |
| Spotted Spreadwing | Lestes congener | 3 | 860 | 0 | 2019 |
| Swamp Darner | Epiaeschna heros | 3 | 715 | 0 | 2021 |
| Emerald Spreadwing | Lestes dryas | 3 | 567 | 0 | 2019 |
| Spatterdock Darner | Rhionaeschna mutata | 3 | 396 | 0 | 2019 |
| American Rubyspot | Hetaerina americana | 2 | 4,444 | 0 | 2015 |
| Lancet Clubtail | Phanogomphus exilis | 2 | 1,803 | 0 | 2022 |
| Carolina Saddlebags | Tramea carolina | 2 | 1,263 | 0 | 2019 |
| Ashy Clubtail | Phanogomphus lividus | 2 | 1,009 | 0 | 1991 |
| Amber-winged Spreadwing | Lestes eurinus | 2 | 706 | 0 | 2015 |
| Royal River Cruiser | Macromia taeniolata | 2 | 598 | 0 | 2020 |
| Sedge Sprite | Nehalennia irene | 2 | 396 | 0 | 2016 |
| Green-striped Darner | Aeshna verticalis | 2 | 342 | 0 | 2014 |
| Arrowhead Spiketail | Zoraena obliqua | 2 | 189 | 0 | 2015 |
| Delta-spotted Spiketail | Zoraena diastatops | 2 | 142 | 0 | 2015 |
| Comet Darner | Anax longipes | 1 | 605 | 1 | 2024 |
| Southern Spreadwing | Lestes australis | 1 | 284 | 1 | 2024 |
| Clamp-tipped Emerald | Somatochlora tenebrosa | 1 | 217 | 1 | 2024 |
| Band-winged Meadowhawk | Sympetrum semicinctum | 1 | 931 | 0 | 1959 |
| Midland Clubtail | Gomphurus fraternus | 1 | 927 | 0 | 1960 |
| Vesper Bluet | Enallagma vesperum | 1 | 922 | 0 | 1958 |
| Lilypad Forktail | Ischnura kellicotti | 1 | 858 | 0 | 2016 |
| Flag-tailed Spinyleg | Dromogomphus spoliatus | 1 | 809 | 0 | 2014 |
| Pronghorn Clubtail | Phanogomphus graslinellus | 1 | 503 | 0 | 1960 |
| Lance-tipped Darner | Aeshna constricta | 1 | 361 | 0 | 1959 |
| Eastern Least Clubtail | Stylogomphus albistylus | 1 | 329 | 0 | 1993 |
| Four-spotted Skimmer | Libellula quadrimaculata | 1 | 295 | 0 | 2023 |
| Dusky Clubtail | Phanogomphus spicatus | 1 | 258 | 0 | 1958 |
| Mocha Emerald | Somatochlora linearis | 1 | 202 | 0 | 1993 |
| Black-tipped Darner | Aeshna tuberculifera | 1 | 163 | 0 | 2015 |
| Tiger Spiketail | Zoraena erronea | 1 | 126 | 0 | 1999 |
| Skillet Clubtail | Gomphurus ventricosus | 1 | 26 | 0 | 1899 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue-ringed Dancer | Argia sedula | 2,837 | 41 | 4 | Jul |
| Swift River Cruiser | Macromia illinoiensis | 760 | 22 | 4 | Jul-Aug |
| Common Baskettail | Epitheca cynosura | 874 | 14 | 4 | late May-early Jun |
| Swamp Spreadwing | Lestes vigilax | 608 | 11 | 3 | Jul |
| Dragonhunter | Hagenius brevistylus | 589 | 4 | 3 | mid Jun |
| Spot-winged Glider | Pantala hymenaea | 562 | 6 | 2 | Jul |
| Black-shouldered Spinyleg | Dromogomphus spinosus | 671 | 3 | 2 | Jun-Jul |
| Blue-faced Meadowhawk | Sympetrum ambiguum | 1,452 | 2 | 2 | late Aug-mid Sep |
| Gray Petaltail | Tachopteryx thoreyi | 446 | 6 | 1 | Jun |
| Lyre-tipped Spreadwing | Lestes unguiculatus | 210 | 6 | 1 | Jun-Jul |
| Rusty Snaketail | Ophiogomphus rupinsulensis | 348 | 5 | 1 | Jun |
| Slender Baskettail | Epitheca costalis | 24 | 2 | 1 | late May |
| Blue Corporal | Ladona deplanata | 601 | 1 | 1 | May |
| Rapids Clubtail | Phanogomphus quadricolor | 377 | 1 | 1 | Jun |
| Arrow Clubtail | Stylurus spiniceps | 321 | 1 | 1 | late Aug-early Sep |
| Cyrano Darner | Nasiaeschna pentacantha | 321 | 1 | 1 | mid Jun |
| Macromia Hybrid | Macromia pacifica x taeniolata | 100 | 1 | 1 | late Jul-mid Aug |
| Spangled Skimmer | Libellula cyanea | 1,197 | 0 | 0 | Jun |
| Banded Pennant | Celithemis fasciata | 860 | 0 | 0 | Jul |
| Cobra Clubtail | Gomphurus vastus | 471 | 0 | 0 | Jun |
| Sphagnum Sprite | Nehalennia gracilis | 443 | 0 | 0 | late Jun-early Jul |
| White-faced Meadowhawk | Sympetrum obtrusum | 305 | 0 | 0 | Sep |
| Red Saddlebags | Tramea onusta | 146 | 0 | 0 | Jun-Jul |
| Splendid Clubtail | Gomphurus lineatifrons | 139 | 0 | 0 | Jun |
| Green-faced Clubtail | Hylogomphus viridifrons | 98 | 0 | 0 | mid Jun |
| Twin-spotted Spiketail | Zoraena maculata | 95 | 0 | 0 | late May-mid Jun |
| Hagen's Bluet | Enallagma hageni | 85 | 0 | 0 | Jun |
| Stygian Shadowdragon | Neurocordulia yamaskanensis | 68 | 0 | 0 | late Jun |
| 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 |
| Appalachian Jewelwing | Calopteryx angustipennis | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Spine-crowned Clubtail | Hylogomphus abbreviatus | 3 | 0 | 0 | Jun |
Richland County is in the Till Plains ecoregion. Straddling the Continental Divide, 3 of its watersheds flow north into Lake Erie (see p. 11 in Ohio Coastal Atlas: Chapter 2 for a detailed watershed map). 5 watersheds flow south to the Ohio River, the western part of the county through the Scioto River, and the eastern part through the Muskingum (see Watersheds of Richland County).
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