SLATY, SPANGLED, and great blue Skimmers (MALES)
Pale blue Slaty Skimmers are sometimes confused with male Eastern Pondhawks. However, Slaty Skimmers, like the one at left, have large black eyes and a black face. An Eastern Pondhawk would have a green face. Also, Slaty Skimmers do not have white claspers at the end of their abdomens as Eastern Pondhawks do.
This is a male Spangled Skimmer. These dragonflies have a distinctive half-white and half-black stigma on each wing.
Spangled Skimmers fly from mid-May to late July. They are found at shallow wetlands and ponds.
Slaty Skimmers prefer shaded ponds and lakes. Look for them hanging out in the shadiest corner of any given pond.
This is a male Great Blue Skimmer. These dragonflies are our largest skimmers. In the field, they are easy to identify based on size alone. Their white faces and green eyes separate them from Slaty Skimmers. In photos, Great Blue Skimmers could conceivably be confused with the much smaller Blue Dasher, but notice that the shoulder patch on a Great Blue Skimmer is white or pale blue. A Blue Dasher would have a striped thorax.
Great Blue Skimmers were uncommon in our part of Ohio until 2019. This species had a great year locally in 2019. There were numerous sightings all across the state. The population boom in 2019 might have been caused by heavy rains and flooding in May and June. Heavy rain helps Great Blue Skimmers by flooding their woodland swamps. This species is not as common in drier years. They were nearly absent from our area in 2023.
I have found several Great Blue Skimmers at Garland Wetland Reserve (part of the Beaver Creek Wetlands). Great Blue Skimmers love shady wetlands, such as swamps or the shaded corners of ponds. I have also seen this species at Spring Lakes Park in Bellbrook, Cox Arboretum, and the Beavercreek Wildlife Area. My sightings have all occurred from late May through July, but Great Blue Skimmers can also fly later in the season.
Male Slaty Skimmer dragonfly. At one time, Slaty Skimmers were fairly uncommon in our part of Ohio, but they have expanded their presence dramatically in recent years. They are now quite common in our area.
I see Spangled Skimmers at Caesar Creek Wildlife Area more often than anywhere else, but they seem to be expanding their range northward. I have also found them at several other locations, including Grant Park, Oakes Quarry, Beavercreek Wildlife Area, and Germantown MetroPark.
A Great Blue Skimmer at Cox Arboretum, showing his white face and the white side of his thorax.
The same individual as above, from a different angle. Photographed June 12, 2022, at Cox Arboretum.
Slaty Skimmers fly from late May through September. Their colors are somewhat variable. They can appear pale blue, purplish-blue, or even black, depending on the age of the individual.