Blue Dasher Pachydiplax longipennis (Burmeister, 1839)    Synonyms: Blue Pirate.
Kingdom Animalia   >   Phylum Arthropoda   >   Class Insecta   >   Order Odonata   >   Family Libellulidae   >   Genus Pachydiplax   

Status:

Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) is a frequently abundant small libellulid of vegetated ponds, lakes, and marshes, or even slow-flowing creeks or rivers with some vegetation present. It often perches on plants or branches in fields or in forest openings to hunt small flying insects (Paulson, 2011). Blue Dasher ranges through Maryland, and has been recorded from every county (Richard Orr's The Dragonflies and Damselflies of Maryland and the District of Columbia).

There are 2,825 records in the project database.

View images at BugGuide

View taxon at iNaturalist

View taxon at NatureServe

Search Google Images

Search MBP Facebook posts (beta | requires login)


[View seasonality details]
GA AL WA FR CL MO HO BA BC HA CE PG AA CV CH SM KE QA CN TA DO WI SO WO 
A Blue Dasher in Montgomery Co., Maryland (7/31/2014). Photo by Wendy R. Fredericks. (MBP list)

A Blue Dasher in Prince George's Co., Maryland (7/29/2013). Photo by Barbara Thurlow. (MBP list)

A Blue Dasher found in Worcester Co., Maryland (7/29/2006). Photo by Jim Brighton. (MBP list)

A Blue Dasher in Prince George's Co., Maryland (7/7/2018). Photo by Frode Jacobsen. (MBP list)

A male Blue Dasher in Wicomico Co., Maryland (6/3/2014). Photo by Frode Jacobsen. (MBP list)

A Blue Dasher in Prince George's Co., Maryland (8/10/2018). Verified by John and Jane Balaban/Bugguide. Photo by Robert Ferraro. (MBP list)

A Blue Dasher in Frederick Co., Maryland (5/27/2019). Photo by Frode Jacobsen. (MBP list)

A Blue Dasher in Frederick Co., Maryland (5/27/2019). Photo by Frode Jacobsen. (MBP list)

Blue Dasher in Prince George's Co., Maryland (6/27/2020). (c) Sergei Drovetski, all rights reserved. Photo by Sergei Drovetski. (MBP list)

Blue Dasher in Prince George's Co., Maryland (6/27/2020). (c) Sergei Drovetski, all rights reserved. Photo by Sergei Drovetski. (MBP list)

A Blue Dasher in Baltimore Co., Maryland (8/19/2014). Photo by Frode Jacobsen. (MBP list)

Blue Dasher in Montgomery Co., Maryland (7/28/2021). (c) David, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA). Photo by David via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

A Blue Dasher in Harford Co., Maryland (8/13/2016). Photo by James Campbell. (MBP list)

A Blue Dasher in Dorchester Co., Maryland (6/30/2014). Photo by Scott Housten. (MBP list)

A Blue Dasher in Prince George's Co., Maryland (6/15/2018). Photo by Matthew Beziat. (MBP list)

A Blue Dasher in Frederick Co., Maryland (6/1/2019). Photo by Judy Gallagher. (MBP list)

Blue Dasher in Dorchester Co., Maryland (6/18/2015). (c) Frode Jacobsen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Frode Jacobsen. (MBP list)

Blue Dasher in Wicomico Co., Maryland (7/15/2007). (c) Bill Hubick, all rights reserved. Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)

Blue Dasher in Prince George's Co., Maryland (6/14/2015). (c) tienglander, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by tienglander via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

A male Blue Dasher in Baltimore City, Maryland (7/13/2010). Photo by Thomas Wilson. (MBP list)

A female Blue Dasher in Howard Co., Maryland (6/14/2013). Photo by Richard Orr. (MBP list)

Blue Dasher in Queen Anne's Co., Maryland (7/22/2022). (c) Jonathan Irons, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Jonathan Irons. (MBP list)

A Blue Dasher in Baltimore Co., Maryland (8/19/2014). Photo by Frode Jacobsen. (MBP list)

Blue Dasher in Howard Co., Maryland (6/18/2020). (c) akorman60, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by akorman60 via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Blue Dasher in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (6/29/2013). (c) botanygirl, some rights reserved (CC BY). Photo by botanygirl via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Blue Dasher in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (6/22/2019). (c) Timothy Reichard, all rights reserved. Photo by Timothy Reichard. (MBP list)

A Blue Dasher in Baltimore Co., Maryland (7/13/2020). Photo by Frode Jacobsen. (MBP list)

Blue Dasher in Dorchester Co., Maryland (8/6/2023). (c) Lisa Mayo, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by Lisa Mayo via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Blue Dasher in Baltimore City, Maryland (7/18/2019). (c) Nathaniel Schwartz, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND). Photo by Nathaniel Schwartz via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Blue Dasher in Caroline Co., Maryland (9/7/2017). Photo by Wayne Longbottom. (MBP list)

A Blue Dasher larva in Calvert Co., Maryland (6/1/2019). Photo by Ben Springer. (MBP list)

Blue Dasher in Prince George's Co., Maryland (8/3/2020). No rights reserved. Photo by Sam Droege. (MBP list)

A Blue Dasher in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (6/1/2016). Photo by Richard Orr. (MBP list)


View All Images

Use of images featured on Maryland Biodiversity Project is only permitted with express permission of the photographer.