Hocking County is not only good for birds and wildflowers. It is also remarkably rich in dragonflies and damselflies — the insect group biologists call Odonata.
The Ohio Odonata Society currently lists 92 known species from Hocking County, representing more than half of the species documented statewide.
Dragonfly or damselfly?
Both belong to Odonata, but their resting posture is a useful beginner clue. Most dragonflies hold their wings open to the sides when perched. Many damselflies fold their wings together or hold them partly closed over the body.
Dragonflies are generally heavier-bodied and stronger fliers. Damselflies tend to look more delicate, although there are exceptions to every simple field rule.
Ebony jewelwing: the easy one to fall in love with
The ebony jewelwing is one of the most frequently recorded odonates in Hocking County data. Males have dark, nearly black wings and a metallic blue-green body. Females are also dark-winged but differ in body color and wing markings.
Look for them around wooded streams, where their slow butterfly-like flight makes them stand out from fast-flying dragonflies.
Common whitetail
Common whitetails are widespread and often use open ponds, wetlands and slow water. Adult males develop a pale, powdery-looking abdomen and broad dark patches on the wings.
They are a good beginner species because they frequently perch where they can be observed with binoculars or a phone camera.
Blue dasher
Blue dashers are another commonly observed Hocking County species. Mature males become blue on the abdomen with darker markings, while females and immature individuals look different.
Like many dragonflies, they repeatedly return to exposed perches, making them easier to photograph than species that rarely stop flying.
Gray petaltail: a forest dragonfly
Gray petaltails are especially interesting in southeastern Ohio because they are associated with wooded seeps and unusual wet forest habitats rather than only open ponds.
The Ohio Odonata Society has numerous Hocking County records for the species. Their gray-brown pattern can make them surprisingly hard to see against bark.
Why Hocking County supports so many species
Topographic diversity creates aquatic diversity. Within the county you can find forested headwater streams, groundwater seeps, small creeks, ponds, lakes and larger open-water habitats.
Dragonflies and damselflies spend their immature stages underwater, so the kind of water present determines which species can reproduce there.
The underwater half of a dragonfly's life
Most of the animal's life is easy for hikers to miss. Dragonfly and damselfly larvae — often called nymphs — are aquatic predators. They live underwater, feeding on other small animals before eventually climbing onto vegetation or another surface and transforming into flying adults.
That means a dragonfly you see patrolling a sunny trail may owe its existence to a tiny seep or stream nearby.
Where hikers can look
For open-water species, lake edges and sunny wetland areas are often productive. For jewelwings and other stream associates, wooded creeks are more useful. Forest seeps can support species you would never expect from looking only at ponds.
Because some sensitive habitats occur away from trails, stay on established routes and use public access points rather than cutting toward every flash of wings.
Best time of year
Odonate activity is generally strongest during the warmer months, but exact flight seasons vary by species. Late spring through summer gives beginners the broadest opportunity to see multiple kinds in one outing.
Warm sunny periods are usually more productive than cold, rainy conditions because adults need heat to fly efficiently.
How to photograph one for identification
- Get a side view of the body if possible.
- Capture the wing pattern.
- Note eye color and thorax markings.
- Record the habitat: pond, lake, shaded creek, seep or trail edge.
- Do not chase insects off trail or into fragile wet areas.
Why this belongs on a hiking site
Learning odonates changes the way you read water on a hike. A wooded stream is not merely scenery. It is nursery habitat. A sunny pond edge is an aerial hunting ground. A seep on a sandstone slope may support a completely different insect community from the lake down the road.
Follow the dragonflies and you start seeing Hocking Hills as a network of waters, not just a network of trails.