Montana Field Guide

The Paddle-tailed Darner is a 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. Paddle-tailed Darners are found state wide from the mountians to the prairies. Preferred habitat includes a variety of lakes and ponds with dense shoreline vegetation, marshy or boggy ponds, fens, and saline ponds, as well as slow-moving streams (Nikula et al. 2002, Paulson 2009, Dunkle 2000). Associated Wetland 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, Great Plains Prairie Pothole,and potentially the Great Plains Saline Depression Wetland since these dragons can tolerate saline conditions.

Paddle-tailed Darners habitats include shaded lakes, ponds, and slow-flowing streams usually in forested areas, but they can also be found in more arid regions. Bogs and fens are also used as breeding sites (Dunkle 2000, Paulson 2009). Away from water, this species tends to hunt along thicket edges until evening (Dunkle 2000).

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.

Male Paddle-tailed Darners make short patrols of shorelines near trees in the open or between vegetation searching for females. They hover for long periods between patrol flights often returning to same open area along shoreline. Copulation is in flight over open water and mated pair then flies toward edge of wetland area. The pair will perch on trees or nearby vegetation until female begins oviposition. She lays eggs in grass blades, cattails, bulrushes and irises above waterline. Floating logs at waterline is another oviposition option (Dunkle 2000, Paulson 2009).