Common Green Darner

The common green darner is one of the largest and most widespread dragonfly species in North America, easily recognized by its bright green thorax and, in males, a vivid blue abdomen, with a wingspan that can reach around ten centimetres. It is a powerful, fast flier capable of catching mosquitoes, flies and other small flying insects directly out of the air, and it is one of relatively few dragonfly species known to undertake a true seasonal migration, with large numbers moving south in the autumn and north again in spring across much of the continent, in a multi-generational pattern only fully documented through tracking studies in recent decades. Like all dragonflies, the common green darner spends the majority of its life cycle underwater as a predatory nymph before emerging and transforming into its familiar flying adult form, which typically lives for only a few weeks to a couple of months. The species is common across ponds, lakes and wetlands throughout most of North America and is frequently one of the first large dragonflies seen each spring.