Warren County

Known species: 81
Total Observations: 3,461
Population: 219,160
Area in Square Miles: 401
People per Square Mile: 539
Observations per Square Mile: 5.5
Percent of State Species: 47%
Percent of State Observations:
1.3%

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.

Warren County Ohio

Observed Species

Common NameScientific NameWarren TotalOhio TotalWarren 2024Last Sighted
Eastern ForktailIschnura verticalis40215,9923072024
Eastern PondhawkErythemis simplicicollis31116,365812024
Double-striped BluetEnallagma basidens3065,3432612024
Eastern AmberwingPerithemis tenera25010,8871672024
Blue DasherPachydiplax longipennis22215,601612024
Widow SkimmerLibellula luctuosa21311,931792024
Fragile ForktailIschnura posita20213,199452024
Blue-fronted DancerArgia apicalis1226,58442024
Common WhitetailPlathemis lydia10612,022222024
Autumn MeadowhawkSympetrum vicinum968,456792024
Ebony JewelwingCalopteryx maculata818,60652024
Halloween PennantCelithemis eponina814,18752024
Familiar BluetEnallagma civile806,173542024
Slaty SkimmerLibellula incesta774,92052024
Powdered DancerArgia moesta585,14162024
Blue-tipped DancerArgia tibialis554,49222024
Common Green DarnerAnax junius545,16052024
Skimming BluetEnallagma geminatum463,83222024
Orange BluetEnallagma signatum453,791152024
American RubyspotHetaerina americana444,44422024
Black SaddlebagsTramea lacerata403,38022024
Spangled SkimmerLibellula cyanea321,19742024
Twelve-spotted SkimmerLibellula pulchella313,74012024
Carolina SaddlebagsTramea carolina301,26322024
Stream BluetEnallagma exsulans254,80312024
Prince BaskettailEpitheca princeps242,78812024
Flag-tailed SpinylegDromogomphus spoliatus2480912024
Azure BluetEnallagma aspersum232,48822024
Dusky DancerArgia translata231,68122024
Blue-faced MeadowhawkSympetrum ambiguum171,45232024
Slender SpreadwingLestes rectangularis173,90402023
Calico PennantCelithemis elisa163,19402023
Violet DancerArgia fumipennis violacea157,55782024
Amber-winged SpreadwingLestes eurinus1570662024
Eastern RingtailErpetogomphus designatus1517742024
Spatterdock DarnerRhionaeschna mutata1439642024
Blue-ringed DancerArgia sedula142,83712024
Westfall's Slender BluetEnallagma traviatum westfalli142,36702023
Unicorn ClubtailArigomphus villosipes142,06502023
Citrine ForktailIschnura hastata1396212024
Midland ClubtailGomphurus fraternus1392702023
Blue CorporalLadona deplanata1260112024
Pronghorn ClubtailPhanogomphus graslinellus1250302023
Banded PennantCelithemis fasciata1186002022
Arrowhead SpiketailZoraena obliqua1018942024
Ruby MeadowhawkSympetrum rubicundulum1096502019
Common BaskettailEpitheca cynosura1087402021
Fawn DarnerBoyeria vinosa1051901993
DragonhunterHagenius brevistylus858922024
Painted SkimmerLibellula semifasciata71,20822024
Wandering GliderPantala flavescens71,52312024
Spotted SpreadwingLestes congener786012024
Sweetflag SpreadwingLestes forcipatus751412024
Cobra ClubtailGomphurus vastus647102021
Springtime DarnerBasiaeschna janata637401993
Great SpreadwingArchilestes grandis595922024
Spot-winged GliderPantala hymenaea556212024
Comet DarnerAnax longipes560502023
Royal River CruiserMacromia taeniolata459812024
Band-winged MeadowhawkSympetrum semicinctum493102023
Swift River CruiserMacromia illinoiensis476002021
Black-shouldered SpinylegDromogomphus spinosus467102016
Lilypad ForktailIschnura kellicotti385812024
Sedge SpriteNehalennia irene339602021
Swamp DarnerEpiaeschna heros271512024
White-faced MeadowhawkSympetrum obtrusum230512024
Gray PetaltailTachopteryx thoreyi244602021
Mocha EmeraldSomatochlora linearis220201960
Slender BaskettailEpitheca costalis12412024
Shadow DarnerAeshna umbrosa11,18702023
Ashy ClubtailPhanogomphus lividus11,00902021
Vesper BluetEnallagma vesperum192202022
Turquoise BluetEnallagma divagans191802021
Rainbow BluetEnallagma antennatum148502020
Swift SetwingDythemis velox144702022
Four-spotted SkimmerLibellula quadrimaculata129502023
Southern SpreadwingLestes australis128402019
Clamp-tipped EmeraldSomatochlora tenebrosa121701962
Variegated MeadowhawkSympetrum corruptum114902020
Twin-spotted SpiketailZoraena maculata19501994
Uhler's SundragonHelocordulia uhleri16301962


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 NameScientific NameOhio ObsLocal Obs# of CountiesPeak Active
Cyrano DarnerNasiaeschna pentacantha321457mid Jun
Great Blue SkimmerLibellula vibrans501816Jun-Jul
Red SaddlebagsTramea onusta146386Jun-Jul
Russet-tipped ClubtailStylurus plagiatus3903144Sep
Rapids ClubtailPhanogomphus quadricolor377864Jun
Arrow ClubtailStylurus spiniceps321274late Aug-early Sep
Eastern Red DamselAmphiagrion saucium1,4201463late May-early Jun
Handsome ClubtailGomphurus crassus209383late May-early Jun
Emerald SpreadwingLestes dryas567183Jun
Swamp SpreadwingLestes vigilax608153Jul
Lancet ClubtailPhanogomphus exilis1,803103early Jun
Plains ClubtailGomphurus externus23683mid Jun-mid Jul
Tule BluetEnallagma carunculatum56933Jun-Jul
Elusive ClubtailStylurus notatus1371192Sep
Paiute DancerArgia alberta369492Jun
Seepage DancerArgia bipunctulata1,230262Jun-Jul
Smoky ShadowdragonNeurocordulia molesta1872Jun
Golden-winged SkimmerLibellula auripennis4552late Jun
Elegant SpreadwingLestes inaequalis58042Jun
Stream CruiserDidymops transversa14032May
Gilded River CruiserMacromia pacifica8832late Jul
Dot-tailed WhitefaceLeucorrhinia intacta1,70222early Jun
Sphagnum SpriteNehalennia gracilis443591late Jun-early Jul
Duckweed FiretailTelebasis byersi14141Jul
Brown SpiketailZoraena bilineata24091late May-early Jun
Smoky RubyspotHetaerina titia37741early Sep
Macromia HybridMacromia pacifica x taeniolata10041late Jul-mid Aug
Band-winged DragonletErythrodiplax umbrata1641Jun-Aug
Rambur's ForktailIschnura ramburii1541Jul
Stygian ShadowdragonNeurocordulia yamaskanensis6821late Jun
Lance-tipped DarnerAeshna constricta36111Sep
Jade ClubtailArigomphus submedianus11511late Jun-late Aug
Double-ringed PennantCelithemis verna6411late Jun
Striped SaddlebagsTramea darwini3311early Oct
Riverine ClubtailStylurus amnicola1511Aug
Aurora DamselChromagrion conditum57600late May-early Jun
Lyre-tipped SpreadwingLestes unguiculatus21000Jun-Jul
Skillet ClubtailGomphurus ventricosus2600Jun
Wabash River CruiserMacromia wabashensis2500Aug
Umber ShadowdragonNeurocordulia obsoleta600Jun
Taiga BluetCoenagrion resolutum400

Warren County is located in the Till Plains ecoregion.

Places to Visit

  • 60 species have been documented in Caesar Creek State Park.

  • See "Clubtails of the Great Miami" in issue 30-11 of the Ohio Dragon Flier. Includes map and suggested river access points.

  • Caesar Creek Lake Wildlife Area. Located off N. Clarksville Road, just north of the visitor center. (See map at caesarcreekparkmap.pdf (ohiodnr.gov)). There are two gravel parking lots with adequate parking. No restroom facilities but there are restrooms at the visitor center, a five-minute drive down the road. This site has a restored prairie with two large, shallow, well-vegetated wetlands. Deer ticks can be bad here, so take precautions against ticks. Spatterdock Darners patrol the wetlands in late May and June, and Flag-tailed Spinylegs can be found here in late summer. Other noteworthy species include Comet Darners, Spangled Skimmers, Banded Pennants, Blue-faced Meadowhawks, and Amber-winged and Sweetflag Spreadwings. The site is attractive to migrants such as gliders and saddlebags.

  • Great Miami River access at Franklin – located on Dayton-Oxford Rd. on the west side of the river, at GM mile marker 59.2. (See map at Water Trail - Great Miami River National Water Trail - Great Miami Riverway). There is a large, flat area of river shoreline accessible here, if the river is not too high. Parking is very limited. There is a small parking lot with about half a dozen spots. No restroom facilities. Head north from the parking area, and then follow a short trail down the embankment to the river. There is poison ivy for a short stretch along this embankment, so wearing long pants is recommended. The river bank itself is open and sunny and mostly gravel, with abundant water willow. This area is sometimes mowed by the city, but the vegetation may be quite thick in spots if not recently mowed. There are small numbers of Cobra and Midland Clubtails here in late spring & early summer, and Eastern Ringtails in late summer & early fall.

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