Canada Darner

Aeshna canadensis

The Canada Darner is a beautiful dragonfly with bright colors! It loves to fly around near water and catch small insects to eat. Watching them zoom by is like seeing a little superhero in the sky!

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Canada Darner is a large dragonfly with a striking blue abdomen marked with yellow or green spots, often arranged in pairs. Its thorax is typically brown with two prominent green or yellow stripes on each side, contrasting with its large, greenish-blue eyes.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumArthropodaClassInsectaOrderOdonataFamilyAeshnidaeGenusAeshna

Canada Darner

Interesting facts

Adult Canada Darners can migrate hundreds of kilometers in groups during fall.

Canada Darners spend years as camouflaged underwater nymphs before emerging as adults.

Their huge eyes have tens of thousands of tiny lenses, creating an amazing mosaic view.

These ancient insects have been flying Earth's skies for over 300 million years!

Special abilities

Canada Darner has huge compound eyes that give it almost 360-degree vision, helping them spot prey or predators in any direction.

Canada Darner can hover, fly backward, and change direction instantly because each of its four wings moves independently.

Canada Darner nymphs can breathe underwater using special gills, allowing them to live hidden for years before transforming.

Measurements & details

Wingspan: 90-110 mm
Size: 60-76 mm
Lifespan: 365-1460 days
Flight Speed: 25-50 km/h
Leg Count: 6

Diet & Feeding

A swift aerial hunter, it snatches pesky mosquitoes, flies, and other small insects right out of the air!

Age differences: Nymphs eat aquatic insects and tadpoles, while adults hunt flying insects.

Primary Foods

Mosquitoes
Midges
Flies
Moths
Butterflies
Small wasps

Foraging Method

Pursuit

Ecological connections

hunts

Common House Mosquito

Culex pipiens

Adults actively hunt and eat mosquito adults.

hunts

House Fly

Musca domestica

Adults swiftly catch and consume various types of flies.

eaten by

American Kestrel

Falco sparverius

Adult Canada Darners can be prey for swift-flying birds.

eaten by

Northern Pike

Esox lucius

Nymphs living underwater are prey for larger fish.

Traits

Aerial

Aerial creatures spend a significant portion of their lives airborne, utilizing flight for various activities such as hunting, migration, or nesting.

Colorful

Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.

Insectivorous

This trait identifies organisms whose diet primarily consists of insects and other small invertebrates.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.