Family: Aeshnidae
Length: typically 70-80 mm
The Green-Striped Darner is a creature of boggy and marshy areas. In late afternoon and early evening, they may be the last dragonflies on the wing at a given location.
Males patrol constantly, seeking to keep other males away from prime ovipositing sites in their territories. Both males and females may be seen hanging vertically from vegetation or on tree trunks.
The anterior lateral stripe (on the thorax) is green and has a characteristic shape. The Green-striped Darner is similar to a couple of other Darner species, including Canada Darner, and sure identifications are really possible only after an in-hand examination.
The mating pair shown here was perched high off the ground in a small wild cherry tree at Cranesville Swamp in Preston County. Across West Virginia, the species seems most widespread in the mountain counties of the northeast.
