| The Dragonflies and Damselflies of North Carolina | |||||||||||
| Home Page | Search | Odonate Resources | Maps | Login | NC Biodiversity Project | Comments | |||||
| North Carolina's 189 Odonate species |
|---|
| Common Name: | Scientific Name: |
| Sort Species by: Family Scientific Name [ Undocumented ] |
| Related Species in COENAGRIONIDAE: | 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] | Blue-tipped Dancer (Argia tibialis) by Mark Shields
[Google images] [Global Biodiversity Information Facility] iNaturalist | ||
| Map | |||
Click on county for list of all its records for Blue-tipped Dancer | |||
| Flight Charts |  |
||
| Distribution | Statewide, though possibly absent along the extreme northeastern coastal areas. Likely found in all mountain counties, though a few in the northern mountains lack records. |
||
| Abundance | Common to locally very common in the Piedmont and most of the Coastal Plain; fairly common to locally common in much of the mountains. Not common in the eastern part of the Coastal Plain, but at least uncommon to fairly common, except rare to absent in the extreme northeastern counties. |
||
| Flight | Downstate, occurs from mid- or late April to late September (and probably later) in the Coastal Plain and to late October in the Piedmont. The mountain flight occurs between mid-May and mid-September. |
||
| Habitat | Small and mainly wooded creeks/streams, typically with a few riffles. Less often along rivers or larger streams without riffles. Typically closer to forested creeks than other dancers. |
||
| Behavior | The species is seen frequently away from water at sunny patches along trails and dirt roads, especially females. Males are often found in shade along wooded creeks, but the bright abdomen tip is conspicuous when they fly around. |
||
| Comments | This is still another dancer species that is common across most of the state and occurs in nearly all counties, but as with many, it is scarce or absent in the extreme northeastern part of the Coastal Plain. In GA, Beaton (2007) says it is "Often the most numerous dancer at any given site"; however, in NC, it shares abundance with a number of other dancer (Argia) species and does not seem quite as numerous as the Variable, Blue-fronted, Powdered, and Blue-ringed dancers, except in the southeastern Coastal Plain. |
||
| State Rank | S5 |
||
| State Status | |||
| Global Rank | G5 |
||
| Federal Status | |||
| Synonym | |||
| Other Name | |||
| Species account update: LeGrand on 2023-01-18 11:08:52 | |||
| Photo Gallery for Blue-tipped Dancer 49 photos are available. Only the most recent 30 are shown. |
Other NC Galleries: Jeff Pippen Will Cook Ted Wilcox | ||
 | Photo 1 by: Matt Spangler Comment: Chatham, 2024-06-09, Haw River--Bynum Dam |  | Photo 2 by: Amy Padgett Comment: Bladen, 2024-04-14, William O Huske Lock and Dam 3, NC - 3:37PM at river's edge |
 | Photo 3 by: Max Ramey, Aaron Reb Comment: Wilkes; P, 2021-07-17, Kerr Scott Dam/ Yadkin River (Dam to 1000 ft downstream) |  | Photo 4 by: P Dixon Comment: Madison, 2021-06-16, Hot Springs area |
 | Photo 5 by: P Dixon Comment: Madison, 2021-05-31, Hot Springs area |  | Photo 6 by: Matt Spangler Comment: Pender, 2021-05-24, Black River downstream of Hunts Bluff |
 | Photo 7 by: John Petranka Comment: Orange, 2020-07-08, Eno River at King's Highway Park, Hillsboro. - Pair in wheel photographed. |  | Photo 8 by: Ruby Sarkar Comment: Wake, 2020-06-21, This damselfly was seen near Falls Lake Dam, in Raleigh. It was a hot, sunny summer afternoon. This is a mature male. There were more than one damselfly from this species at that time. They were flying over and around a small pool of water adjacent to the dam. Interestingly, they loved perching on the rocks and concrete which were lying around the water. They seemed not preferring the twigs or grasses sticking out of water surface. Or should I say they left those options open for the Stream Bluets who were more into it!? |
 | Photo 9 by: Doug Allen Comment: Polk; P, 2020-06-14, Caroland Farms - NC section; private ponds |  | Photo 10 by: Mark Shields Comment: Sampson, 2019-05-24, Black River, from Ivanhoe Boating Access Area to 4.5 km upstream and back, by kayak. |
 | Photo 11 by: Aaron Edmonds Comment: Harnett; C, 2019-05-12, Campbell University- Marshbanks Property |  | Photo 12 by: Mark Shields Comment: Scotland, 2018-07-06, Lumber River State Park (LURI) - Chalk Banks Access |
 | Photo 13 by: Mark Shields Comment: Hoke, 2018-07-06, Lumber River at Wagram Boating Access Area |  | Photo 14 by: Mike Turner Comment: Davie, 2018-07-03, S. Yadkin River @ Cooleemee boating access |
 | Photo 15 by: Ken Kneidel Comment: Catawba, 2018-06-24, Small vegetated pond at Jacob Fork Park, Newton, 36.633532,-81.311931 |  | Photo 16 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 - male |
 | Photo 17 by: Mark Shields Comment: New Hanover, 2018-06-08, Northeast Cape Fear River at Riverside Park, Castle Hayne. Photo of female. |  | Photo 18 by: Mark Shields Comment: Onslow, 2017-07-14, New River, at Henry McAllister Landing |
 | Photo 19 by: Rob Van Epps Comment: Mecklenburg, 2017-07-08, Mallard Creek between Mallard Creek Church Rd and Harris Blvd. |  | Photo 20 by: Barbara McRae Comment: Macon, 2017-06-28, Franklin, Little Tennessee River, Greenway - Morris Trace segment; on grass near river |
 | Photo 21 by: Barbara McRae Comment: Macon, 2017-06-20, Franklin, Little Tennessee River, Greenway - On paved trail around Nickajack Bridge; photo of female |  | Photo 22 by: Barbara McRae Comment: Macon, 2017-06-20, Franklin, Little Tennessee River, Greenway - Old Airport Trail section; tandem pair at Mile 1.5, above river |
 | Photo 23 by: Mark Shields Comment: Pender, 2017-05-19, Shelter Creek, lower 2 km |  | Photo 24 by: Mark Shields, Hunter Phillips Comment: Richmond; C, 2017-05-15, McKinney Lake State Fish Hatchery - ovipositing pairs in spillway |
 | Photo 25 by: Mark Shields Comment: Bladen, 2017-05-11, South River at Sloan's Bridge |  | Photo 26 by: Mark Shields Comment: Jones, 2017-04-28, Haywood Landing and Weetock Trail, Croatan National Forest |
 | Photo 27 by: Mark Shields Comment: Brunswick, 2015-09-05, Waccamaw River - along 4 km stretch upstream of NC 904 bridge |  | Photo 28 by: Mark Shields Comment: Robeson, 2015-08-01, Lumber River State Park, Princess Ann Access |
 | Photo 29 by: Mark Shields Comment: Duplin, 2015-06-19, Northeast Cape Fear River, Chinquapin Boat Access |  | Photo 30 by: Owen McConnell Comment: Orange, 2015-05-28, Eno Riverwalk |
»