NC Odonate Website

Related Species in AESHNIDAE:

Number of records for 2025 = 2

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Harlequin Darner (Gomphaeschna furcillata) by John Petranka, Sally Gewalt

Compare with: Taper-tailed Darner
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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

Federal Status

Synonym

Other Name

Species account update: LeGrand on 2023-01-09 15:00:39

The Dragonflies and Damselflies of North Carolina
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Photo Gallery for Harlequin Darner 37 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: Dare; Mainland, 2025-04-04, Alligator River NWR ARNWR--Milltail Rd - Multiple swarms of 20-40, plus a steady stream of other individuals along the road. Count from <1 mile of road; thousands likely flying across the refuge right now.		Photo 2 by: Harry LeGrand Comment: Durham, 2024-05-10, Flat River Waterfowl Impoundments - landed on someone's pants leg! Photo by Claire Sullivan.
	Photo 3 by: Amy Padgett Comment: Bladen, 2024-04-12, Turnbull Creek Educational State Forest - At edge of the woods		Photo 4 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 5 by: K. Metcalf, R. Van Epps Comment: Richmond; C, 2024-03-29, - two caught and released (1 male, 1 female)		Photo 6 by: Jeffrey Pippen Comment: Dare; OBU, 2024-03-20, - Edge of lawn and forest in front of Elizabethan Gardens
	Photo 7 by: Harry LeGrand, Lori Arent Comment: Franklin, 2023-04-18, Shocco Creek Game Land; photo by Lori Arent		Photo 8 by: Aaron Edmonds Comment: Harnett; C, 2021-04-18, Flat Branch
	Photo 9 by: Aaron Edmonds Comment: Harnett; C, 2021-04-18, Flat Branch		Photo 10 by: Jan Hansen Comment: Bladen, 2021-04-06, Bay Tree Lake SNA
	Photo 11 by: Jan Hansen Comment: Bladen, 2021-04-06, Bay Tree Lake SNA		Photo 12 by: Jan Hansen Comment: Bladen, 2021-04-06, Bay Tree Lake SNA
	Photo 13 by: John Petranka, Sally Gewalt Comment: Durham, 2020-04-05, Walking roads at Flat River Waterfowl Impoundment. - Males.		Photo 14 by: Jan Hansen Comment: Orange, 2020-03-27, Mason Farm Biological Reserve - Chapel Hill - Perched vertically on tree trunk
	Photo 15 by: Mark Shields, Hunter Phillips Comment: Bladen, 2019-04-16, Suggs Mill Pond Game Land - male landed on hand		Photo 16 by: Mark Shields, Hunter Phillips Comment: Wayne, 2019-04-15, Cliffs of the Neuse State Park (CLNE)
	Photo 17 by: Mark Shields Comment: Jones, 2018-04-03, Weetock Trail near Haywood Landing, Croatan National Forest		Photo 18 by: Mark Shields, Hunter Phillips Comment: Camden, 2017-04-14, Dismal Swamp State Park (DISW)
	Photo 19 by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Comment: Camden, 2017-04-13, Dismal Swamp State Park - perhaps an underestimate; males and females photographed and netted		Photo 20 by: Kyle Kittelberger, Brian Bockhahn Comment: Camden, 2017-04-13, Dismal Swamp State Park - perhaps an underestimate; males and females photographed and netted
	Photo 21 by: Mark Shields Comment: Jones, 2017-04-11, Weetock Trail near Haywood Landing, Croatan National Forest		Photo 22 by: John Petranka Comment: Wake, 2017-04-01, Robertson Millpond Preserve, Robertson Pond Road, eastern Wake County. - Males. Patrolling near the parking area.
	Photo 23 by: Mark Shields Comment: Pender, 2016-03-25, along Northeast Cape Fear River at Holly Shelter Boating Access		Photo 24 by: Conrad Wernett, Alyssa Wernett, Matt Anderson Comment: Richmond; C, 2015-05-03, - Single male in grassy clearing near Lake Bagget.
	Photo 25 by: Larry Lynch Comment: Gates, 2015-04-18, Merchants Millpond State Park - female		Photo 26 by: Conrad Wernett Comment: Onslow, 2014-04-13, - Clearing between wooded areas
	Photo 27 by: Conrad Wernett Comment: Craven, 2014-04-05, - Many seen patrolling roadway. One netted and photographed for ID.		Photo 28 by: Conrad Wernett Comment: Onslow, 2014-04-05, - Several specimens found patrolling clearing between wooded areas
	Photo 29 by: Doug Johnston Comment: Brunswick, 2013-04-26, Green Swamp		Photo 30 by: Doug Johnston Comment: Pender, 2013-04-23, Cape Fear River, Holly Shelter Game Land