The Dragonflies and Damselflies of North Carolina
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North Carolina's 189 Odonate species
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Related Species in AESHNIDAE: Number of records for 2024 = 6

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e.g., flight data, high counts, and earliest/latest dates can be seen.
[View PDF]		Harlequin Darner (Gomphaeschna furcillata) by John Petranka, Sally Gewalt
Compare with: Taper-tailed Darner  
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Note: except as noted for the cerci, all characters apply to both sexes.

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Map
Click on county for list of all its records for Harlequin Darner
Flight Charts
Distribution Throughout the Coastal Plain, and the eastern two-thirds of the Piedmont. Ranges as far west as Stokes, Forsyth, and Iredell counties, though there was an unconfirmed (sight) report from Burke County in spring 2014. The occurrence in most of the Piedmont is spotty and consists mostly of older records.
Abundance Generally uncommon to infrequent over the Coastal Plain, but can be locally common to very common (in swarms). Rare to uncommon in the extreme lower Piedmont, but quite rare and declining in the central Piedmont. (There are a number of new records, documented by photos, of the closely related Taper-tailed Darner in the Piedmont, but as can be seen from the Harlequin Darner "Record Recency" map, there are very few recent records for the Piedmont, and none west of Orange County.)
Flight Spring season, but sparingly into early summer. Its flight in the Coastal Plain is from mid-March to mid-May, with scattered records to early July; the Piedmont flight period is narrower -- very late March to late May. The peak of the flight is in mid-April.
Habitat Typically near swamps or wetter bottomlands, but also near wooded creeks.

See also Habitat Account for General Wet-Hydric Forests
Behavior This species has a fairly unusual behavior. Males patrol over swamps or marshes, but also along roads through wetlands and also in nearby uplands. They fly generally from 3-6 feet off the ground, often back and forth, and sometimes hover in the observer's face! They do not perch often, but when they do, it typically is vertically on tree trunks, but at times on humans. It is less likely to perch on man-made structures than is the similar Taper-tailed Darner.
Comments Dunkle (2000) calls the species "scarce" over its entire range; Beaton (2007) calls it "Rare to uncommon and local" throughout Georgia. Yet, observers have often seen dozens in some favorable spots in the NC Coastal Plain, and it can be the most commonly seen dragonfly at a few wetland areas, especially acidic wetlands such as pocosins. And, Cuyler has collection records from all but a few of the Coastal Plain counties in the state. There are disturbingly few records in recent years for the Piedmont, and the only confirmed records in the past 20 years have ranged west only to Orange County. Cuyler and maybe others had records for 7-8 counties farther to the west of Orange County, a few decades ago; despite many observers today in this province, there are no recent records there.
State Rank S4S5
State Status
Global Rank G5
Federal Status
Synonym
Other Name
Species account update: LeGrand on 2023-01-09 15:00:39
Photo Gallery for Harlequin Darner   35 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, 2024-04-12, Turnbull Creek Educational State Forest - At edge of the woods		Photo 2 by: Amy Padgett

Comment: Bladen, 2024-04-01, Slades Swamp: mixed hardwoods 2 miles SW of Clarkton - Cruising a small pond in the swamp
Photo 3 by: K. Metcalf, R. Van Epps

Comment: Richmond; C, 2024-03-29, - two caught and released (1 male, 1 female)		Photo 4 by: Jeffrey Pippen

Comment: Dare; OBU, 2024-03-20, - Edge of lawn and forest in front of Elizabethan Gardens
Photo 5 by: Harry LeGrand, Lori Arent

Comment: Franklin, 2023-04-18, Shocco Creek Game Land; photo by Lori Arent		Photo 6 by: Aaron Edmonds

Comment: Harnett; C, 2021-04-18, Flat Branch
Photo 7 by: Aaron Edmonds

Comment: Harnett; C, 2021-04-18, Flat Branch		Photo 8 by: Jan Hansen

Comment: Bladen, 2021-04-06, Bay Tree Lake SNA
Photo 9 by: Jan Hansen

Comment: Bladen, 2021-04-06, Bay Tree Lake SNA		Photo 10 by: Jan Hansen

Comment: Bladen, 2021-04-06, Bay Tree Lake SNA
Photo 11 by: John Petranka, Sally Gewalt

Comment: Durham, 2020-04-05, Walking roads at Flat River Waterfowl Impoundment. - Males.		Photo 12 by: Jan Hansen

Comment: Orange, 2020-03-27, Mason Farm Biological Reserve - Chapel Hill - Perched vertically on tree trunk
Photo 13 by: Mark Shields, Hunter Phillips

Comment: Bladen, 2019-04-16, Suggs Mill Pond Game Land - male landed on hand		Photo 14 by: Mark Shields, Hunter Phillips

Comment: Wayne, 2019-04-15, Cliffs of the Neuse State Park (CLNE)
Photo 15 by: Mark Shields

Comment: Jones, 2018-04-03, Weetock Trail near Haywood Landing, Croatan National Forest		Photo 16 by: Mark Shields, Hunter Phillips

Comment: Camden, 2017-04-14, Dismal Swamp State Park (DISW)
Photo 17 by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn

Comment: Camden, 2017-04-13, Dismal Swamp State Park - perhaps an underestimate; males and females photographed and netted		Photo 18 by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn

Comment: Camden, 2017-04-13, Dismal Swamp State Park - perhaps an underestimate; males and females photographed and netted
Photo 19 by: Mark Shields

Comment: Jones, 2017-04-11, Weetock Trail near Haywood Landing, Croatan National Forest		Photo 20 by: John Petranka

Comment: Wake, 2017-04-01, Robertson Millpond Preserve, Robertson Pond Road, eastern Wake County. - Males. Patrolling near the parking area.
Photo 21 by: Mark Shields

Comment: Pender, 2016-03-25, along Northeast Cape Fear River at Holly Shelter Boating Access		Photo 22 by: Conrad Wernett, Alyssa Wernett, Matt Anderson

Comment: Richmond; C, 2015-05-03, - Single male in grassy clearing near Lake Bagget.
Photo 23 by: Larry Lynch

Comment: Gates, 2015-04-18, Merchants Millpond State Park - female		Photo 24 by: Conrad Wernett

Comment: Onslow, 2014-04-13, - Clearing between wooded areas
Photo 25 by: Conrad Wernett

Comment: Craven, 2014-04-05, - Many seen patrolling roadway. One netted and photographed for ID.		Photo 26 by: Conrad Wernett

Comment: Onslow, 2014-04-05, - Several specimens found patrolling clearing between wooded areas
Photo 27 by: Doug Johnston

Comment: Brunswick, 2013-04-26, Green Swamp		Photo 28 by: Doug Johnston

Comment: Pender, 2013-04-23, Cape Fear River, Holly Shelter Game Land
Photo 29 by: Mike Turner

Comment: Wake, 2013-04-18, Temple Flat Rock		Photo 30 by: Curtis Smalling

Comment: Dare; Mainland, 2011-04-26, At Milltail Creek put-in, Alligator River NWR