DRAGONHUNTER
The first time I saw a Dragonhunter, the word that kept flashing through my brain was "magnificent." This is one of our largest dragonflies. (Swamp Darners are slightly larger in wingspan and length, but Dragonhunters look much bulkier.)
This is a female Dragonhunter. Compare her with the male above. Females have shorter, stouter abdomens by comparison. (But they are still large dragonflies!)
Dragonhunters are apex predators of the insect world; they feed on other dragonflies, large butterflies, and pretty much anything else they can catch. They have the lazy assurance of an apex predator that knows it is king of the hill and has nothing to fear.
A Dragonhunter's long legs and gangly body make it look somewhat awkward when attempting to settle on a perch.
Dragonhunters are widespread in our area. I find them at Germantown MetroPark, Twin Creek MetroPark, Glen Helen, Spring Lakes Park in Bellbrook, the Caesar Creek dam, along the Great Miami River, some of the Beaver Creek Wetlands parks, and several other locations.
Dragonhunters fly from late May through early September.
Here is the apex predator at work: a female Dragonhunter preying on a Monarch butterfly in Miamisburg.
This female Dragonhunter ambushed her prey in a bed of weeds along the Great Miami River--the perfect hunting grounds to snag a migrating Monarch.
Last but not least, here is a Dragonhunter from Hocking Hills (eastern Ohio). I threw in this photo just because I like the curly vine in the background!
The individual at left is a male. He was swinging to and fro on a grass stem beside the river at Germantown MetroPark.
Females have more yellow along the sides of their abdomen than males.
This is a newly-emerged Dragonhunter at Taylorsville MetroPark on June 3, 2023. There were several teneral Dragonhunters emerging that day. Newly-emerged individuals are very greenish in color.