Montana Field Guide

The Shadow Darner is a common and widespread member of the family Aeshnidae. Darners are among the largest and fastest-flying North American dragonflies, 2 1/4-4 3/4" (57-120 mm) long. Shadow Darners are found state wide from the mountians to the prairies with a subspecies in the east and in the western part of the state. Preferred habitat includes small slow-flowing forested streams, as well as shaded lakes, ponds, bogs, fens, swamps and ditches (Nikula et al. 2002, Paulson 2009, Dunkle 2000). In eastern Montana shaded riparian areas are probably key for this species to be present. Of the wedge shaded cerci darners with straight thoracic stripes, the shadow darner is more brown in color and narrower T-stripes, no face line, eastern form with small green abdominal spots, while western form has larger blue abdominal spots. Associated Wetland and Lotic ecological systems are numerous: Western Emergent Marsh, Northern Rocky Mountain Wooded Vernal Pool and the Rocky Mountain Subalpine-Montane Fen, Great Plains Open Freshwater Depressional Wetland, Perennial Praire Streams.

Of the wedge shaded cerci darners with straight thoracic stripes, the shadow darner is more brown in color and narrower T-stripes, no face line, eastern form with small green abdominal spots, while western form has larger blue abdominal spots.

Shadow Darners occupy small slow-flowing forested streams, as well as shaded lakes, ponds, bogs, fens, swamps and ditches (Dunkle 2000, Nikula et al. 2002, Paulson, 2009). This species is also found far from water in clearings, forest edges, and forested roads (Nikula et al. 2002).

Larvae feed on a wide variety of aquatic insects, such as mosquito larvae, other aquatic fly larvae, mayfly larvae, and freshwater shrimp. They will also eat very small fish and tadpoles.
Adult- The dragonfly will eat almost any soft-bodied flying insect including mosquitoes, flies, small moths, mayflies, and flying ants or termites.

This species is mostly active in shaded areas, hence the name Shadow Darner. It is known to feed out in the open very late into the evening even into darkness (Dunkle 2000, Paulson 2009).

Shadow Darner males patrol close to the shoreline over open water often hovering for extensive periods. Females oviposit in the decaying wood of floating logs or submerged twigs and branches, even into moist trunks of trees and earthen banks of shoreline. This ovipositing behavior tends to lead to older females with missing or damages ceri (Dunkle 2000, Nikula et al. 2002, Paulson, 2009).