For the data nerds, Jim Lemon has compiled the below information.
Ohio Dragonfly Survey 2018
Thanks again to all of the many volunteers who have contributed data via iNaturalist. We would not be able to do so much if it was not for you. 2018 was a record year in a lot of ways, with a record number of observations, species expansions, and new county records.
To put this in comparison, above is a bar chart showing all observations ever recorded in the Ohio Odonata Society database. The red line is just data from 2018! (Note the dip in observation numbers in mid-june, coincidentally the date MaLisa Spring, Jim Lemon, and Dave McShaffrey were in Minnesota for the Dragonfly Society of the Americas conference).
In two years, we have doubled our known observations. It took the Ohio Odonata Society a DECADE to compile both specimens and old records from publications and museums to reach around 30,000 records. In two years, we have gotten 35,000 observations on iNaturalist! So thank you very much to everyone who has helped us reach these numbers! We cannot say that enough.
Now onto the fun data.
County Data
Top Counties – The Counties with the highest number of Observations in 2018
Montgomery 1574
Champaign 1042 <- Jim Lemon frequents here
Franklin 918 <- Columbus
Summit 733 <- Akron
Lucas 562 <- Toledo
Greene 529
Hancock 505 <– Location of the 2018 Conference
Top Counties – Counties with the highest number of Species Reported in 2018
| County | # of Species Reported |
|---|---|
| Lucas | 70 |
| Lake | 66 |
| Ashtabula | 65 |
| Hocking | 65 |
| Greene | 62 |
| Montgomery | 61 |
| Champaign | 58 |
| Summit | 58 |
| Geauga | 54 |
| Hancock | 54 |
| Franklin | 53 |
Top Counties – Counties with the highest number of Observers in 2018
| County | # of People Reporting |
|---|---|
| Summit | 70 |
| Franklin | 65 |
| Cuyahoga | 52 |
| Portage | 37 |
| Delaware | 34 |
| Montgomery | 33 |
| Lucas | 32 |
| Greene | 30 |
| Hancock | 28 |
| Lake | 28 |
Combined Top Scores
| County | # of Observations | Species Reported | # of People Reporting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery | 1574 | 61 | 33 |
| Franklin | 918 | 53 | 65 |
| Summit | 733 | 58 | 70 |
| Champaign | 1042 | 58 | 26 |
| Lucas | 562 | 70 | 32 |
| Greene | 529 | 62 | 30 |
| Hancock | 505 | 54 | 28 |
| Lake | 325 | 66 | 28 |
| Cuyahoga | 231 | 43 | 52 |
| Geauga | 388 | 54 | 22 |
| Delaware | 300 | 45 | 34 |
| Medina | 412 | 46 | 24 |
| Ashtabula | 387 | 65 | 17 |
| Lorain | 443 | 43 | 22 |
These numbers reinforce the thread – more people lead to more observations, which lead to more species being seen.
Most Observed Species Data – 2018 – top 7
| Species | # of Users observing | # of counties reported | Total # of observations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Pondhawk | 182 | 87 | 1455 |
| Eastern Forktail | 127 | 86 | 1323 |
| Blue Dasher | 164 | 88 | 1214 |
| Widow Skimmer | 149 | 86 | 939 |
| Eastern Amberwing | 123 | 85 | 896 |
| Fragile Forktail | 111 | 85 | 843 |
| Common Whitetail | 152 | 81 | 803 |
*Note that there are only 88 counties in Ohio
Surprise! Eastern Pondhawk is our champion for most observations across Ohio! If there is one dragon you are most likely to find, it is this beast.
Most Observed Species Data prior to 2018 – top 7
| Species | # of Users observing | # of counties reported | Total # of observations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Forktail | 309 | 88 | 2092 |
| Eastern Pondhawk | 292 | 88 | 1792 |
| Blue Dasher | 291 | 88 | 1792 |
| Widow Skimmer | 330 | 88 | 1576 |
| Common Whitetail | 308 | 88 | 1575 |
| Eastern Amberwing | 255 | 88 | 1280 |
| Ebony Jewelwing | 300 | 87 | 1202 |
It’s interesting to see the slight changes in order in the most observed. No surprises, any of these species could be expected through most of the season, especially Jun-Jul, anywhere there’s water.
The flip-side are species where numbers are low, and or in the past. If you wanna be a rock star at the conference, find one of these…
Species not seen since before 1990:
| Species | Year last seen | County last observed |
|---|---|---|
| Spine-crowned Clubtail | 1937 | Ashland |
| Taper-tailed Darner | 1960 | Cuyahoga |
| Variable Darner | 1951 | Williams |
| Georgia River Cruiser | 1956 | Paulding |
| Hine’s Emerald | 1961 | Lucas |
| Kennedy’s Emerald | 1955 | Erie |
| Little Blue Dragonlet | 1933 | Vinton |
| Saffron-winged Meadowhawk | 1957 | Knox |
| Appalachian Jewelwing | 1900 | Ashland |
| Atlantic Bluet | 1897 | Franklin |
| Furtive Forktail | 1959 | Marion |
The Hine’s Emerald is a Federally Endangered Species, that was described from specimens in Ohio. (And also named after one of our key dragonfly collectors, J.S. Hine). Alas, it has not been documented in Ohio since 1961.
Additional Species with very limited range:
# counties last seen – county
| Species | Year last seen | County last observed |
|---|---|---|
| American Emerald | 2018 | Portage |
| Jade Clubtail | 2018 | Shelby/Auglaize |
| Striped Saddlebags | 2018 | Lucas/Summit |
| Belted Whiteface | 2017 | Lucas |
| Incurvate Emerald | 1996 | Athens |
| River Bluet | 2016 | Hancock |
| Scarlet Skimmer | 2018 | Summit |
| Yellow-sided Skimmer | 2011 | Pike |
So, are you going to go out this year and try to find these missing species? Let us know if you think you found them!