Blue dragonflies stand out with their vivid coloring. These insects live next to water sources such as ponds and are easily distinguishable from black dragonflies.
Male dragonflies are the dominant blue insect across North American species as females have different coloring across multiple species.
Males can have a blue abdomen, a blue thorax, a blue head, and even blue eyes.
Most blue dragonflies have black secondary colors. Alternating black and blue sections across the body are common in most dragonflies that are blue.
The following species of blue dragonflies are the easiest to spot around the world, mostly in the summer.
Table of Contents
1.Blue Dasher
Blue Dasher dragonflies (Pachydiplax longipennis) represent one of the most common species across North America.
It has a US presence and a South Canada presence.
The name of this dragonfly comes from its blue color. Yellow and black sections are also seen on the species.
Females are known for having blue faces while the rest of the body is mostly black and yellow.
Blue Dasher are small to medium-size dragonflies as they grow to a maximum length of 1.15 inches.
These dragonflies have smaller females and are also known for high aggression.
Males Blue Dashers are aggressive over food or when it comes to mating.
2. Eastern Pondhawk
Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) is some of the unique species of blue dragonflies by coloring.
Males are blue while females are green.
The male Eastern Pondhawk has blue coloring with green nuances on the thorax and a green face.
Females are almost completely green. They have black bands across the abdomen.
The species is slightly larger than other dragonflies in Eastern parts of North America.
It grows to a wingspan of up to 1.9 inches.
This species is mostly found next to water sources, hiding in the vegetation. Males and females are seen together when mating.
The male Eastern Pondhawk is known for patrol flights whenever the female lays eggs.
3. Common Green Darner
Common Green Darner dragonflies (Anax junius) are among the species with blue female morphs.
The male of the species is green, as the name implies.
Females have a green abdomen with black patterns and a green head with a green upper body.
Apart from coloring, the Common Green Darner is one of the species known for its migratory habits.
This species migrates North in the summer before coming back South in the fall.
A North American species, the Common Green Darner migrates over long distances.
3 generations emerge in a full Northwards and then Southwards migration.
Common Green Darner dragonflies are also some of the largest in the US. They can to a length of over 3 inches.
4. Slaty Skimmer
Native to the United States, Slaty Skimmer dragonflies (Libellula incesta) are among the most common species with blue coloring.
The male Slaty Skimmer is dominated by dark blue colors across the abdomen and the thorax. This species also has a dark blue head.
Females have no blue colors at all. A black body with yellow segments and large brown eyes are characteristic of the female Slaty Skimmer.
Most common around lakes, these dragonflies have a limited season, much like other blue dragonflies.
They first emerge in June and only fly and mate until August.
The species can have an even shorter season in its Canadian habitat.
5. Great Blue Skimmer
Light blue and dark blue nuances are specific to the male Great Blue Simmer (Libellula vibrans). This dragonfly has a light blue abdomen and thorax with black marks and stripes.
Its eyes are large and dark blue.
Great Blue Skimmers grow to a maximum size of up to 63mm.
They are a common sight across the Eastern parts of the US. They can be found along the Atlantic Coast and Eastwards up until Oklahoma and Kansas.
The Great Blue Skimmer female is mostly yellow with large brown eyes.
This species can be found next to lakes and rivers.
6. Seaside Dragonlet
Seaside Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax berenice) is the only species of dragonflies in the country to live in salt marshes and saline lakes.
It can be found on the East Coast as well as in areas close to The Gulf of Mexico.
The species is also the only dragonfly in the Western Hemisphere to be restricted to these habitats.
Seaside Dragonlet is a species with differentiated coloring between males and females.
The male has dark blue coloring with purple nuances and black marks across its thorax and abdomen.
Yellow is the dominant color of the female. Mustard-yellow is specific to the female rather than bright yellow as in other dragonflies.
7. Blue Corporal
Blue Corporals (Ladona deplanata) are native to North America. They inhabit large territories across the Eastern United States.
These dragonflies are characterized by vivid blue coloring, even if they also exhibit other colors.
The abdomen and much of the body of the male are blue. Its head and thorax are black.
Female Blue Corporals are dominated by brown coloring.
The species is small compared to all other Eastern US dragonflies.
It can be as small as 1.1 inches. Some of the larger Blue Corporal dragonflies reach a size of up to 1.6 inches.
8. Blue-eyed Darner
Blue colors are specific to both male and female Blue-Eyed Darner dragonflies (Rhionaeschna multicolor).
The eyes of males and females are blue. However, there are differences in the amount of blue coloring across the body between the sexes.
Males have alternating black and blue sections across the body. This species also has large blue eyes.
Females are mostly brown. They have alternating brown, blue, and white sections.
Blue-eyed Darner dragonflies are among the few species that live in Western parts of North America.
They also live in Central America and Western parts of South America.
9. Band-winged Dragonlet
Band-winged Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax umbrata) represents a species that inhabits parts of Central America.
To a lesser extent, these dragonflies are also found in Texas and Florida.
You can identify the Band-winged Dragonlet by the large black bands seen across its forewings and hindwings.
This species has a dark blue body that’s almost black, in the case of males.
Yellow coloring without black bands on the wings is specific to females.
The species has a medium size compared to dragonflies in Texas and Florida. It grows to a size between 30 and 40mm.
10. Spangled Skimmer
Mostly seen around US lakes, Spangled Skimmer dragonflies (Libellula cyanea) are blue.
Males of the species show light blue coloring across the body and the abdomen.
The head of the species is black while its wings are transparent.
Females have black bodies with lateral yellow bands.
The head of the female is also black. Brown eyes are characteristic of female Spangled Skimmers.
Off-white smaller marks are shown on the forewings and hindwings of the female, as opposed to the larger bright white marks seen on the wings of males.
Spangled Skimmers have an extended season from spring to fall.
11. Little Blue Dragonlet
The Little Blue Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax minuscula) is a species native to Southeastern US habitats. It has a longer season given it lives in states such as Florida.
You can see the Little Blue Dragonlet from spring to fall.
Males of the species have light blue color with black segments.
Females are dominated by black and yellow colors.
Small blue sections are seen below the large brown eyes of the females.
Ponds tend to be the preferred aquatic habitat for the species followed by lakes.
Little Blue Dragonlet dragonflies are rarely found next to large rivers.
12. Western Pondhawk
This species (Erythemis collocata) is native to Western US territories. It’s one of the dragonflies that eat Western malaria mosquitoes.
The species has blue and green coloring between the sexes.
The species has a blue abdomen, a blue thorax, and large blue eyes.
Male Western Pondhawk dragonflies are most active in the morning while females fly in the evening.
Multiple males are seen flying together early in the morning.
Most active in the summer, this dragonfly is seen in the highest numbers in July and August.
13. Black Setwing
Black Setwing dragonflies (Dythemis nigrescens) are native to North America with a considerable presence in Central America.
In the US, the dragonfly has a high presence across Southern states. Arizona is one of the states where these insects are seen in multiple habitats, mainly next to ponds and stagnant water.
This species of dragonflies have a combination of black and blue colors in males and similar nuances in females.
Alternating black and blue sections are seen across the abdomen of the species while the thorax is mostly blue. The eyes of males are black-blue while females have emerald-colored eyes.
This species has stable populations with expanding habitats. It has been recently discovered in South America.
14. Comanche Skimmer
This species (Libellula comanche) of blue dragonfly is native to Western North America.
It can be found in a territory between Montana and California going East to Texas.
The species has distinct blue coloring on the abdomen and thorax. Even its eyes and face are blue.
Females don’t share the same coloring as the male as they are black and yellow.
The naiads of the species are seen on lakes, mainly feeding on the larvae of various flies such as mosquitoes.
Adults can eat a wider range of soft-bodied insects, including moths and butterflies.
Comanche Skimmer dragonflies have a different flight period in the North compared to the longer period in the South.
In states such as Montana, the dragonfly may appear as late in the season as the second part of June. It may only be active until the beginning of August.
15. California Darner
California Darner dragonflies (Rhionaeschna californica) are native to California and nearby states.
A high population of California Darners is also seen across Oregon.
This species has black and blue males. A black head with large blue eyes is specific to the male.
A few brown spots are seen on the central dorsal side of the male.
Alternating black and blue bands are seen across the abdomen of the species.
Its wings are almost fully transparent.
Females are mostly brown and black. The body of females also shows white spots.
The head of the female is black with brown eyes and a brown face.
16. Canada Darner
Some of the most common species of blue dragonflies in Canada are the native Canada Darner. This species (Aeshna canadensis) lives at medium to high elevations.
It can also be found in the United States, especially in Montana but also further South to Northern California.
Males of the species have alternating black and blue colors.
Females are mostly brown with white spots across the abdomen.
These dragonflies are known to be partly migratory. Some of the populations at higher elevations migrate South towards the end of the summer.
17. Yellow-sided Skimmer
Only male Yellow-sided Skimmer dragonflies (Libellula flavida) show blue coloring. This color is only visible on the dorsal side of its abdomen while the rest of the body is black and yellow.
Females don’t show any blue colors.
Native to Eastern US territories, this species is known for its high aggression levels.
Males are known to go on patrolling flights each day.
Mostly seen in the coastal habitats of Eastern US states, this dragonfly has an extended season through fall given temperatures are warmer here.
18. Variable Darner
This species (Aeshna interrupta) of dragonflies have a characteristic black and blue coloring.
Found in marshes, ponds, lakes, and even pools, the species is among has variable coloring.
A black body with large blue spots is characteristic of the species.
This dragonfly is also known for having a black face.
You can find Variable Darner dragonflies across Canada and in most US states.
19. Black-tipped Darner
Black-tipped Darner dragonflies (Aeshna tuberculifera) are native to North America.
Males of the species have a black body with blue bands across the abdomen and distinctive blue stripes on the thorax.
These dragonflies have large blue-green eyes as well.
This colorful species is seen flying until early fall.
Unlike other types of dragonflies, it’s also a common sight next to streams, not just ponds.
Black-tipped Darner dragonflies are larger than the average dragonfly. They easily grow to a size of over 3 inches.
20. Lance-tipped Darner
Lance-tipped Darner dragonflies (Aeshna constricta) are native to Canada and Northern US states.
This species appears late in the season given the weather isn’t as warm as in the Southern states.
Dragonflies of this genus can appear as late as July. They fly until September or October.
Male Lance-tipped Darner dragonflies have a black body with blue bands and blue stripes across the thorax.
Females have black and yellow color combinations without any blue marks.
These dragonflies are most active at dusk.
21. Spatterdock Darner
Spatterdock Darner (Rhionaeschna mutata) dragonflies are a common sight in vegetation next to ponds and marshes.
Many small ponds are preferred by Spatterdock Darners.
Some of these ponds are even too small to host any fish. They only provide a predator-free habitat for the dragonflies to multiply and a good source of small insects to feed on.
These dragonflies also have black and blue coloring among males.
The male dragonfly has blue stripes across the thorax and a large blue head with blue eyes.
22. Martha’s Pennant
This species (Celithemis martha) of blue dragonflies appear to be carrying saddlebags by the dark spots seen close to the body on its hindwings.
Males of the species have a blue abdomen with a black head. The thorax is also blue.
Females have black and yellow coloring. Similar black patches are seen on the hindwings of the female as those on the wings of the male dragonfly.
Stable populations of Martha’s Pennant dragonflies are found across North America.
23. Double-ringed Pennant
Double-ringed Pennant dragonflies (Celithemis verna) are a common sight across Southeastern US territories.
Common in Florida, this species is mostly seen across the coast where it chooses small ponds with short vegetation as its habitat.
Male Double-ringed Pennant dragonflies have a blue head, blue thorax, and a blue abdomen. Large brown-black eyes are specific to the male.
Females have an almost black body with just a few yellow bands across the upper section of the abdomen.
24. Spot-tailed Dasher
Spot-tailed Dasher dragonflies (Micrathyria aequalis) are native to areas around the Caribbean Sea.
They are also native to North and South America.
Males of the species are among the few male dragonflies with emerald eyes. The upper body of the abdomen is blue while the lower abdomen is black.
Male Spot-tailed Dasher dragonflies have white faces.
25. Walker’s Darner
This species (Aeshna walkeri) of dragonflies are common in California and the Western US territories including Nevada.
Males are known for having blue coloring across a black body.
The abdomen of the male is black, with alternating blue bands.
Blue and black colors are also specific to the thorax of Walker’s Darner.
The head of the male dragonfly is black and only its large eyes are blue.
Further Reading: