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Aeshna sitchensis

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description Aeshna sitchensis Overview

Aeshna sitchensis, commonly known as the zigzag darner, is a dragonfly species first described by Hermann August Hagen in 1861. This insect primarily inhabits acidic bogs and ponds across boreal North America. The species is named for its distinctive flight pattern, which features characteristic zigzag movements as it hunts for prey.

help Aeshna sitchensis FAQ

How can I identify Aeshna sitchensis in the field?

The zigzag darner has narrow pale stripes on the thorax that bend into a zigzag shape, plus a brown abdomen with pale blue spots. The species was described by Hermann August Hagen in 1861. [US Fish and Wildlife Service](https://www.fws.gov/species/zigzag-darner-aeshna-sitchensis)

Where does the zigzag darner breed?

Aeshna sitchensis favors small bog pools, fens, and shallow cold-water pools with moss and nearby wooded uplands. Some breeding pools dry during summer, so a dragonfly can be associated with a wetland that is not permanently full.

How does Aeshna sitchensis reproduce?

Females lay eggs near the waterline in grasses, sedges, moss beds, algal mats, or mud. The aquatic larvae feed on prey such as mosquito larvae and other small aquatic insects before emerging as adult dragonflies.

When is the best time to look for a zigzag darner?

Field guides place its main flight period roughly from early July into mid-October. Adults often perch low on logs, trees, light-colored ground, or vegetation near bogs and fens.

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