Richland County
Known species: 75
Total Observations: 1,031
Population: 121,773
Area in Square Miles: 495
People per Square Mile: 243
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.
Observed Species
Common Name | Scientific Name | Richland Total | Ohio Total | Richland 2023 | Last Sighted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Forktail | Ischnura verticalis | 99 | 13,326 | 20 | 2023 |
| Common Whitetail | Plathemis lydia | 79 | 9,898 | 10 | 2023 |
| Stream Bluet | Enallagma exsulans | 58 | 4,097 | 36 | 2023 |
| Eastern Pondhawk | Erythemis simplicicollis | 57 | 13,870 | 9 | 2023 |
| Blue Dasher | Pachydiplax longipennis | 56 | 13,169 | 3 | 2023 |
| Fragile Forktail | Ischnura posita | 44 | 10,727 | 8 | 2023 |
| Eastern Amberwing | Perithemis tenera | 44 | 8,819 | 8 | 2023 |
| Widow Skimmer | Libellula luctuosa | 38 | 10,352 | 8 | 2023 |
| Ebony Jewelwing | Calopteryx maculata | 37 | 7,169 | 4 | 2023 |
| Autumn Meadowhawk | Sympetrum vicinum | 35 | 6,971 | 6 | 2023 |
| Slaty Skimmer | Libellula incesta | 30 | 4,032 | 6 | 2023 |
| Violet Dancer | Argia fumipennis violacea | 30 | 6,247 | 3 | 2023 |
| Rainbow Bluet | Enallagma antennatum | 29 | 458 | 18 | 2023 |
| Blue-tipped Dancer | Argia tibialis | 22 | 3,785 | 4 | 2023 |
| Slender Spreadwing | Lestes rectangularis | 22 | 3,492 | 0 | 2022 |
| Twelve-spotted Skimmer | Libellula pulchella | 22 | 3,377 | 0 | 2022 |
| Common Green Darner | Anax junius | 19 | 4,146 | 2 | 2023 |
| Tule Bluet | Enallagma carunculatum | 17 | 498 | 6 | 2023 |
| Unicorn Clubtail | Arigomphus villosipes | 15 | 1,687 | 3 | 2023 |
| Great Blue Skimmer | Libellula vibrans | 15 | 467 | 0 | 2022 |
| Familiar Bluet | Enallagma civile | 14 | 5,111 | 2 | 2023 |
| Azure Bluet | Enallagma aspersum | 13 | 2,115 | 0 | 2022 |
| Fawn Darner | Boyeria vinosa | 13 | 440 | 0 | 1993 |
| Skimming Bluet | Enallagma geminatum | 12 | 3,109 | 4 | 2023 |
| Blue-fronted Dancer | Argia apicalis | 12 | 5,692 | 0 | 2022 |
| Prince Baskettail | Epitheca princeps | 11 | 2,390 | 0 | 2022 |
| Double-striped Bluet | Enallagma basidens | 10 | 4,313 | 1 | 2023 |
| Sweetflag Spreadwing | Lestes forcipatus | 10 | 443 | 0 | 2022 |
| Dot-tailed Whiteface | Leucorrhinia intacta | 9 | 1,357 | 0 | 2022 |
| Aurora Damsel | Chromagrion conditum | 7 | 471 | 7 | 2023 |
| Black Saddlebags | Tramea lacerata | 7 | 2,839 | 2 | 2023 |
| Westfall's Slender Bluet | Enallagma traviatum westfalli | 7 | 1,991 | 2 | 2023 |
| Orange Bluet | Enallagma signatum | 7 | 3,184 | 1 | 2023 |
| Ruby Meadowhawk | Sympetrum rubicundulum | 7 | 942 | 0 | 2019 |
| Shadow Darner | Aeshna umbrosa | 6 | 1,031 | 2 | 2023 |
| Halloween Pennant | Celithemis eponina | 6 | 3,628 | 0 | 2020 |
| Powdered Dancer | Argia moesta | 4 | 4,247 | 0 | 2021 |
| Eastern Red Damsel | Amphiagrion saucium | 4 | 1,230 | 0 | 1942 |
| Painted Skimmer | Libellula semifasciata | 4 | 1,056 | 0 | 2017 |
| Elegant Spreadwing | Lestes inaequalis | 4 | 479 | 0 | 2022 |
| Turquoise Bluet | Enallagma divagans | 3 | 768 | 2 | 2023 |
| Calico Pennant | Celithemis elisa | 3 | 2,752 | 0 | 2019 |
| Dusky Dancer | Argia translata | 3 | 1,376 | 0 | 2018 |
| Wandering Glider | Pantala flavescens | 3 | 1,241 | 0 | 2022 |
| Citrine Forktail | Ischnura hastata | 3 | 899 | 0 | 2013 |
| Great Spreadwing | Archilestes grandis | 3 | 824 | 0 | 2015 |
| Spotted Spreadwing | Lestes congener | 3 | 731 | 0 | 2019 |
| Swamp Darner | Epiaeschna heros | 3 | 620 | 0 | 2021 |
| Emerald Spreadwing | Lestes dryas | 3 | 479 | 0 | 2019 |
| Spatterdock Darner | Rhionaeschna mutata | 3 | 335 | 0 | 2019 |
| Springtime Darner | Basiaeschna janata | 3 | 298 | 0 | 2015 |
| American Rubyspot | Hetaerina americana | 2 | 3,761 | 0 | 2015 |
| Lancet Clubtail | Phanogomphus exilis | 2 | 1,518 | 0 | 2022 |
| Carolina Saddlebags | Tramea carolina | 2 | 1,048 | 0 | 2019 |
| Ashy Clubtail | Phanogomphus lividus | 2 | 874 | 0 | 1991 |
| Amber-winged Spreadwing | Lestes eurinus | 2 | 610 | 0 | 2015 |
| Royal River Cruiser | Macromia taeniolata | 2 | 536 | 0 | 2020 |
| Sedge Sprite | Nehalennia irene | 2 | 359 | 0 | 2016 |
| Green-striped Darner | Aeshna verticalis | 2 | 262 | 0 | 2014 |
| Arrowhead Spiketail | Cordulegaster obliqua | 2 | 172 | 0 | 2015 |
| Delta-spotted Spiketail | Cordulegaster diastatops | 2 | 131 | 0 | 2015 |
| Four-spotted Skimmer | Libellula quadrimaculata | 1 | 285 | 1 | 2023 |
| Band-winged Meadowhawk | Sympetrum semicinctum | 1 | 860 | 0 | 1959 |
| Midland Clubtail | Gomphurus fraternus | 1 | 802 | 0 | 1960 |
| Flag-tailed Spinyleg | Dromogomphus spoliatus | 1 | 743 | 0 | 2014 |
| Vesper Bluet | Enallagma vesperum | 1 | 740 | 0 | 1958 |
| Lilypad Forktail | Ischnura kellicotti | 1 | 733 | 0 | 2016 |
| Pronghorn Clubtail | Phanogomphus graslinellus | 1 | 451 | 0 | 1960 |
| Lance-tipped Darner | Aeshna constricta | 1 | 358 | 0 | 1959 |
| Eastern Least Clubtail | Stylogomphus albistylus | 1 | 262 | 0 | 1993 |
| Mocha Emerald | Somatochlora linearis | 1 | 192 | 0 | 1993 |
| Dusky Clubtail | Phanogomphus spicatus | 1 | 191 | 0 | 1958 |
| Black-tipped Darner | Aeshna tuberculifera | 1 | 141 | 0 | 2015 |
| Tiger Spiketail | Cordulegaster erronea | 1 | 106 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swift River Cruiser | Macromia illinoiensis | 688 | 17 | 4 | Jul-Aug |
| Common Baskettail | Epitheca cynosura | 748 | 11 | 4 | late May-early Jun |
| Blue-ringed Dancer | Argia sedula | 2,364 | 36 | 3 | Jul |
| Swamp Spreadwing | Lestes vigilax | 544 | 11 | 3 | Jul |
| Comet Darner | Anax longipes | 515 | 8 | 3 | mid Jun-mid Jul |
| Black-shouldered Spinyleg | Dromogomphus spinosus | 542 | 3 | 2 | Jun-Jul |
| Southern Spreadwing | Lestes australis | 255 | 3 | 2 | May |
| Spot-winged Glider | Pantala hymenaea | 478 | 2 | 2 | Jul |
| Clamp-tipped Emerald | Somatochlora tenebrosa | 208 | 2 | 2 | Aug |
| Gray Petaltail | Tachopteryx thoreyi | 390 | 6 | 1 | Jun |
| Rusty Snaketail | Ophiogomphus rupinsulensis | 245 | 5 | 1 | Jun |
| Lyre-tipped Spreadwing | Lestes unguiculatus | 180 | 3 | 1 | Jun-Jul |
| Dragonhunter | Hagenius brevistylus | 439 | 2 | 1 | mid Jun |
| Slender Baskettail | Epitheca costalis | 19 | 2 | 1 | late May |
| Blue-faced Meadowhawk | Sympetrum ambiguum | 1,204 | 1 | 1 | late Aug-mid Sep |
| Blue Corporal | Ladona deplanata | 446 | 1 | 1 | May |
| Arrow Clubtail | Stylurus spiniceps | 305 | 1 | 1 | late Aug-early Sep |
| Rapids Clubtail | Phanogomphus quadricolor | 287 | 1 | 1 | Jun |
| Spangled Skimmer | Libellula cyanea | 1,037 | 0 | 0 | Jun |
| Banded Pennant | Celithemis fasciata | 684 | 0 | 0 | Jul |
| Cobra Clubtail | Gomphurus vastus | 377 | 0 | 0 | Jun |
| Sphagnum Sprite | Nehalennia gracilis | 370 | 0 | 0 | late Jun-early Jul |
| White-faced Meadowhawk | Sympetrum obtrusum | 272 | 0 | 0 | Sep |
| Red Saddlebags | Tramea onusta | 145 | 0 | 0 | Jun-Jul |
| Splendid Clubtail | Gomphurus lineatifrons | 95 | 0 | 0 | Jun |
| Twin-spotted Spiketail | Cordulegaster maculata | 90 | 0 | 0 | late May-mid Jun |
| Hagen's Bluet | Enallagma hageni | 84 | 0 | 0 | Jun |
| Stygian Shadowdragon | Neurocordulia yamaskanensis | 68 | 0 | 0 | late Jun |
| Marsh Bluet | Enallagma ebrium | 66 | 0 | 0 | mid Jun |
| Green-faced Clubtail | Hylogomphus viridifrons | 59 | 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 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