Green Darner

The Green Darner or common green darner (Anax junius), after its resemblance to a darning needle, is a species of dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae. It is one of the most widespread and numerous species in North America, and it also ranges south to Panama. It is renowned for its lengthy migration route from the north of the United States south into Texas and Mexico. Additionally, it also occurs in the Caribbean, Tahiti, and Asia, from mainland China to Japan. It serves as the state insect of Washington in the United States.

The common green darner has a wingspan of up to 10 cm and a length of 6.8 to 8 cm. An unmarked green thorax is present in both sexes. The first few abdominal segments are the brightest in mature males' bluish-purple abdomens, which also contain a black dorsal stripe that gets wider toward the end of the abdomen. The majority of females and immature males have reddish-brown abdomens, however, some females have patterns similar to those of adult males. Although wings start off transparent, they typically age into amber color, especially in females. Both sexes have a black ‘bulls-eye’ mark on the face (more precisely, the frons) in front of their eyes, a distinguishing field mark that separates them from the superficially similar Comet Darner (Anax longipes).