| The Dragonflies and Damselflies of North Carolina | |||||||||||
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| North Carolina's 189 Odonate species |
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| Common Name: | Scientific Name: |
| Sort Species by: Family Scientific Name [ Undocumented ] |
| Related Species in LIBELLULIDAE: | Number of records for 2025 = 0 | |
| PDF has more details, e.g., flight data, high counts, and earliest/latest dates can be seen. [View PDF] | Widow Skimmer (Libellula luctuosa) by Mark Shields [Google images] [Global Biodiversity Information Facility] iNaturalist | |
| Map | ||
Click on county for list of all its records for Widow Skimmer | ||
| Flight Charts |  |
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| Distribution | Essentially statewide; only two extreme eastern Coastal Plain counties lack records. Presumably present in all counties. |
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| Abundance | Generally very common in the Piedmont and lower mountains; fairly common in the western Coastal Plain, though numbers decrease toward the coast, such that it is scarce in the eastern counties. Common in the middle elevations of the mountains. One of the more numerous dragonflies in the mountain province. |
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| Flight | Downstate, early or mid-April to mid-October, but not numerous until late May. In the mountains, the flight is from mid-May to late September, sparingly to mid-October. |
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| Habitat | Typical breeding sites as for other skimmers -- ponds, small lakes, marshes, and pools. See also Habitat Account for General Pond Shorelines |
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| Behavior | Unlike most other skimmers, this species typically moves away from water to spend most of its time foraging in fields, powerline clearings, woodland borders, and other sunny to partly sunny places. Adults often perch on twigs of woody plants or on herbaceous vegetation, in such open areas. |
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| Comments | This might be the "flashiest" of our skimmers, as they are quite common, perch in open places within easy view, and have bold wing patterns. The wide black and frosted white bands of the male are impossible to miss when on the wing. Numbers of the species are seldom large at any given locale, as they seem territorial, and swarms are not generally noted. Nonetheless, it can occasionally be the most often seen dragonfly on a Piedmont walk, especially away from pond margins. |
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| State Rank | S5 |
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| State Status | ||
| Global Rank | G5 |
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| Federal Status | ||
| Synonym | ||
| Other Name | ||
| Species account update: LeGrand on 2023-01-16 18:00:02 | ||
| Photo Gallery for Widow Skimmer 43 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown. |
Other NC Galleries: Jeff Pippen Will Cook Ted Wilcox | ||
 | Photo 1 by: Amy Padgett Comment: Bladen, 2024-07-22, Lock & Dam #2, Elizabethtown, NC - 11:54A along river banks |  | Photo 2 by: Amy Padgett Comment: Bladen, 2024-07-15, Lock & |
 | Photo 3 by: Guy McGrane Comment: Avery, 2024-07-13, Mill Pond - At pond edge on vegetation |  | Photo 4 by: Amy G. Padgett Comment: Bladen, 2024-05-28 by the boat ramp, - 1:26PM, Elwell Ferry Ramp, Kelly, NC |
 | Photo 5 by: Nora Murdock, Keith Langdon, Robert Emmott Comment: Swain, 2021-07-06, |  | Photo 6 by: Guy McGrane Comment: Watauga, 2020-08-01, Brookshire Park |
 | Photo 7 by: Mike Turner Comment: Forsyth, 2018-07-01, Winston Lake - 15 adult males |  | Photo 8 by: Mark Shields Comment: Jackson, 2018-06-25, Pond beside Breedlove Road, 5 km northeast of Cashiers |
 | Photo 9 by: Mark Shields Comment: Craven, 2018-06-16, Swift Creek; 7 km section between Cool Springs Boating Access Area and NC 43 bridge, by kayak |  | Photo 10 by: Mark Shields Comment: Chowan, 2018-06-09, Edenton National Fish Hatchery |
 | Photo 11 by: Mark Shields Comment: Edgecombe, 2018-05-25, Etheridge Pond, Tar River Game Land |  | Photo 12 by: Mark Shields Comment: Duplin, 2017-09-03, Northeast Cape Fear River, Kenansville Boating Access Area |
 | Photo 13 by: Mark Shields Comment: Lenoir, 2017-08-01, Neuseway Nature Park, Kinston |  | Photo 14 by: Guy McGrane Comment: Watauga, 2017-07-17, Boone Greenway-created wetland area |
 | Photo 15 by: Vin Stanton Comment: Buncombe, 2017-06-11, Owen Park, Warren Wilson College - Female and Male |  | Photo 16 by: Barbara McRae Comment: Macon, 2017-06-12, Franklin, Little Tennessee River, wetland near Greenway - Perched in wetland near river |
 | Photo 17 by: Mark Shields Comment: Rutherford; P, 2017-06-02, Morse Park, Lake Lure |  | Photo 18 by: Mark Shields Comment: Onslow, 2017-05-29, Stones Creek Game Land |
 | Photo 19 by: Curtis Smalling Comment: Avery, 2015-07-03, Banner Elk Greenway Trail |  | Photo 20 by: Curtis Smalling Comment: Wilkes; M, 2015-06-16, WRC fishing put-in on Triplett Rd. - foraging away from water |
 | Photo 21 by: Owen McConnell Comment: Cherokee, 2015-06-15, Cherokee Lake (a dammed creek arm of Hiwassee Lake) |  | Photo 22 by: Conrad Wernett Comment: Onslow, 2014-06-29 - Seen at retention pond and along New River |
 | Photo 23 by: Conrad Wernett Comment: Jones, 2014-06-22 - Two males spotted at Brocks Mill |  | Photo 24 by: Dick Thomas Comment: Guilford, 2013-07-22, Piedmont Environmental Center, High Point - patrolling over Sunnyvale Rd |
 | Photo 25 by: Doug Johnston, Vin Stanton Comment: Graham, 2013-07-16, Tulula Bog - Male & Female |  | Photo 26 by: Nancy Cowal Comment: McDowell; M, 2012-08-31, Old Fort, submitted by Vin Stanton - Male & Female |
 | Photo 27 by: Vin Stanton, Doug Johnston, Simon Thompson Comment: Polk; P, 2012-08-04, Foothills Equestrian Nature Center (FENCE) - Male & Female |  | Photo 28 by: Owen McConnell Comment: Durham, 2012-06-13, Quail Roost - young male |
 | Photo 29 by: Doug Johnston Comment: Madison, 2012-06-08, Leach pond, close to Sandy Mush Game Land |  | Photo 30 by: Vin Stanton, Doug Johnston Comment: Transylvania, 2011-08-19, Brevard - Male & Female |
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