The Hine's emerald dragonfly is a large, agile and strong-flying species found in parts of Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Missouri. It was first described in 1931 from a population in Logan County, Ohio. All three historically known Ohio populations are thought to have been extirpated long ago. The species was listed as federally endangered in 1995.
Hine's emerald dragonfly is associated with shallow seepage-fed wetlands in regions with dolomite bedrock usually, but not always, near the surface. Aquatic larvae spend three to five years in small, cool streamlets, emerging as adults in June, July, and August and living for only a few weeks.
I've been working with the Hine's emerald dragonfly continuously since 1994, and currently hold a federal endangered species recovery permit for the species. The majority of my experience has been in northeastern Illinois, with a lesser amount of field time in Door County Wisconsin and habitat reconnaissance visits in the Missouri Ozarks and on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and a recent look at the vicinity of the Ohio type locality. My efforts have included mark and recapture studies of adults which documented between-site dispersal, as well as larval monitoring. The majority of my experience has been with non-intrusive quantitative monitoring of adult populations, using distance sampling methods which do not require capture of animals. I've also designed restoration of breeding and foraging habitat as mitigation for a major infrastructure project, constructed in 2008.
Most of the information I've gathered over the years is included in obscure and difficult to obtain reports prepared for half a dozen private sector and government clients. Here, I'll attempt to summarize some basic information in a more readily accessible location. This page is intended to be a work in progress, and I currently have two projects underway which include monitoring or habitat restoration for this species. Over time I'll add additional information.
