The Dragonflies and Damselflies of North Carolina
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Odonate Resources
Resources listed in the 14th Approximation plus those provided by Ami Thompson - Assistant Professor of Biology, North Carolina Wesleyan College
 RESOURCE TYPETITLECOMMENT
1Educational AidDragonfly Curriculum Guide 1st EditionA free Spanish version is being developed.
2Educational AidDriven to Discover Citizen Science Curriculum Guide: Dragonflies and Odonata CentralA curriculum written by Ami Thompson for the University of Minnesota Extension. This pdf is free. There are other curricula within this series on Birds, Pollinators, and Phenology.
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3ID GuideDamselflies of the Northeast : A Guide to the Species of Eastern Canada & the Northeastern United States. Lam, E. 2004, Biodiversity Books.Considerable overlap with our geographic area with excellent illustrations. Highly recommended. Currently out of print, but used copies are often available online.
4ID GuideDragonflies and Damselflies of Georgia and the Southeast. Beaton, G. 2007. University of Georgia Press.
5ID GuideDragonflies and Damselflies of the East. Paulson, D. 2011. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ.The definitive field guide for the eastern United States. Highly recommended.
6ID GuideDragonflies of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Lasswell, J. and Mitchell, F. 2014. Quick Reference Publishing.A folding waterproof photo-ID pamphlet. Forty species of dragonflies (both sexes) are illustrated in dorsal view. Most useful for casual observers and young people.
7ID GuideDragonflies through Binoculars. Dunkle, S.W. 2000. Oxford University Press, New York.Covers U.S. dragonflies and complements Paulson's Guide nicely. Highly recommended.
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8OrganizationDragonfly Society of the AmericasA $15 annual membership fee gives you full electronic access to the Society's quarterly newsletter Argia and to its refereed journal Bulletin of American Odonatology.
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9Relevant PublicationAbbott, J.C. 2005. Dragonflies and Damselflies of Texas and the South-Central United States. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ.Recommended.
10Relevant PublicationBarlow, A.E., D.M. Golden, and J. Bangma. 2009. Field Guide to the Dragonflies of New Jersey. New Jersey Department of Enivironmental Protection, FlemingtonAppears to be out of print.
11Relevant PublicationBeaton, G. 2007. Dragonflies and Damselflies of Georgia and the Southeast. University of Georgia Press, Athens, GA. Highly recommended
12Relevant PublicationBick, G.H., and B. Mauffray. 1997-2004. Distribution Summary of North American Anisoptera; on, International Odonata Research Institute website
13Relevant PublicationCarpenter, V. 1991. Dragonflies and Damselflies of Cape Cod. The Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, Natural History Series No. 4
14Relevant PublicationCorbet, P. S. 1999. Dragonflies: Behavior and Ecology of Odonata. Comstock Publishing Associates, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY.Everything ever published about dragonflies from 1999 and earlier summarized - the "bible" of Odonatology.
15Relevant PublicationCórdoba-Aguilar, A., editor. 2008. Dragonflies & Damselflies: Model Organisms for Ecological and Evolutionary Research. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK
16Relevant PublicationDixon, P. 2021. Temporal Patterns in Mating Activity of Neurocordulia yamaskanensis (Stygian Shadowdragon) on the French Broad River in North Carolina. Argia 33(1): pp 18-21.A valuable study of the temporal and seasonal mating patterns of Neurocordulia yamaskanensis at a site along the French River in Madison County, NC.
17Relevant PublicationDragonflies and Damselflies of the East. Paulson, D. 2011. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ.Highly recommended.
18Relevant PublicationDragonfly HaikuAn amazing book of dragonfly Haiku poetry written by dragonfly scientists and artists.
19Relevant PublicationDragonfly Nymphs of North AmericaRecent release and only accurate guide to North American nymph identification -- beautiful and abundant illustrations.
20Relevant PublicationDragonfly Society of the Americas Checklist Committee. 2021. The Odonata of North America. OdonataCentral websiteHighly recommended. Beyond providing a checklist, this publication includes additional useful information such as etymology of scientific and common names, authors of taxa, type localities and ranges.
21Relevant PublicationDunkle, S.W. 1989. Dragonflies of the Florida Peninsula, Bermuda and the Bahamas. Scientific Publishers, Gainesville, FL.Recommended
22Relevant PublicationDunkle, S.W. 1990. Damselflies of Florida, Bermuda and the Bahamas. Scientific Publishers, Gainesville, FL.Recommended
23Relevant PublicationDunkle, S.W. 2000. Dragonflies through Binoculars. Oxford University Press, New YorkHighly recommended
24Relevant PublicationFliedner, H. and I. Endersby 2019. The Scientific Names of North American Dragonflies. Busybird Publishing, Montmorency, Vic., AustraliaAn interesting treatment of the origins of the scientific names of the North American odonates. Includes translations of the Latin, a discussion of each name’s etymology, and biographical sketches of the species’ authors.
25Relevant PublicationKittelberger, K. and B. Bockham. 2020. Novel Behavioral Observations from North Carolina of The Poorly Known Neurocordulia alabamensis (Alabama Shadowdragon). Argia 32(3):pp 24-25.Observations of the evening flight time and flight behavior of the seldom-observed Alabama Shadowdragon (Neurocordulia alabamensis) in Richmond County, NC.
26Relevant PublicationLam, E. 2004. Damselflies of the Northeast. Biodiversity Books, Forest Hills.
27Relevant PublicationLegler, K., D. Legler, and D. Westover. 1998. Color Guide to Common Dragonflies of Wisconsin. Revised ed.Privately printed.
28Relevant PublicationMauffray, B. 2005. North American Zygoptera, updated version of Westfall and May (1996) list; on, International Odonata Research Institute website.
29Relevant PublicationMay, M. L. and S. W. Dunkle. 2007. Damselflies of North America: color supplement. Scientific Publishers, Gainesville, FL.
30Relevant PublicationMead, K. 2003. Dragonflies of the North Woods. Kollath-Stensaas Publishing, Duluth, MN.
31Relevant PublicationNeedham, J.G., M.J. Westfall, Jr., and M.L. May. 2014. Dragonflies of North America; Third Edition. Scientific Publishers, Gainesville, FL.Detailed scientific work – recommended for collectors.
32Relevant PublicationNikula, B., and J. Sones, with D. and L. Stokes. 2002. Beginner’s Guide to Dragonflies. Little, Brown and Company, Boston.
33Relevant PublicationPaulson, D. 2004. New Common Names for some North American Odonata. Argia 16(3):pp 29-30.Report of changes to common names of a number of North American odonates as recommended by The Dragonfly Society of the Americas Common Names Committee.
34Relevant PublicationPaulson, D. 2019. Dragonflies & Damselflies: A Natural History. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ.
35Relevant PublicationRoble, S.M. 1994. A Preliminary Checklist of the Damselflies of Virginia, with Notes on Distribution and Seasonality (Odonata: Zygoptera). Banisteria 4:3-23.
36Relevant PublicationRoble, S.M., and R.D. Cuyler. 1998. The Damselflies and Dragonflies (Odonata) of the Great Dismal Swamp and Vicinity, pp. 115-131; in, Rose, R.K., ed. The Natural History of the Great Dismal Swamp. Omni Press, Madison, WI.
37Relevant PublicationTennessen, K. J. 2019. Dragonfly Nymphs of North America: An Identification Guide. Springer Nature Switzerland AG, Cham, Switzerland.
38Relevant PublicationWalton, R.K., and R.A. Forster. 1997. Common Dragonflies of the Northeast (video). VHS.Privately published.
39Relevant PublicationWare, J.L., E. Pilgrim, M.L. May, T.W. Donnelly, and K. Tennessen. 2017. Phylogenetic relationships of North American Gomphidae and their close relatives. Systematic Entomology 42(2): 347-358.
40Relevant PublicationWestfall, M. J., Jr and M. L. May. 2006. Damselflies of North America; Revised Edition. Scientific Publishers, Gainesville, FL.Detailed scientific work – recommended for collectors.
41Relevant PublicationWhite, M. 2011. Natural History of Delmarva Dragonflies and Damselflies: Essays of a Lifelong Observer. University of Delaware Press, Newark, DE.
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42WebsiteA photographic guide to all the Odonates of the Delmarva PeninsulaPhotos and minimal text of all species found on the Delmarva Peninsula.
43WebsiteAllen Bryan’s personal website.Damselflies and Dragonflies found and photographed in Virginia, North Carolina, or Montana. Photos and some text for most species found in North Carolina.
44WebsiteAtlas of Rare Butterflies, Skippers, Moths, Dragonflies & Damselflies of VirginiaThis site provides county range maps for all species considered as rare by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program. Information on the life history of each of the rare species is also provided.
45WebsiteDragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata) of Georgia, the southeastern U.S., and beyondThis site, created by Marion Dobbs, provides photos and county range maps for all species found in Georgia; most of these are also found in North Carolina.
46WebsiteGiff Beaton’s personal website.Dragonflies and Damselflies: North America. Great photos and identification tips for 216 species, including most of those found in North Carolina. His website also features excellent photos of several other taxa; see: https://www.giffbeaton.com/home.html
47WebsiteGreg Lasley’s personal website.Photos of odonates of North America.
48WebsiteInternational Odonata Research InstituteProvides a number of links and checklists.
49WebsiteJeff Pippen’s personal website.Photos of North Carolina odonates.
50WebsiteOdonataCentralProvides a number of links to various odonate resources, contains an online data entry feature, and shows county distribution maps (and records) for all North American species. The site also has a link to “The Odonata of North America.”
51WebsiteSoutheastern Odes Public Group on FacebookPosts on identification, sightings, ecology, and other aspects of odonates in the southeastern US.
52WebsiteSteve Krotzer’s personal website.Features photos of adult and larval odonates from Alabama and Mississippi, most of which also occur in NC.
53WebsiteTroy Hibbitts’s personal website.Photos of North American odonates.
54WebsiteWill Cook’s personal website.Photos of North Carolina and Virginia odonates.