Bug FAQAmerican Emerald
Cordulia shurtleffii · Order: Odonata · Family: Corduliidae
Also called: American Emerald Dragonfly
The American emerald dragonfly measures about 1.7 to 2.0 inches long. It is mostly black with a yellow ring between the second and third abdominal segments. It lives in the northern United States and Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Body length typically 1.7 to 2.0 inches.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Found in the northern United States and Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 31 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Michigan, California, Oregon, Minnesota, Alaska, Vermont, Wisconsin, Maine.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I identify an American emerald dragonfly?
Look for a mostly black dragonfly with a yellow ring between the second and third abdominal segments.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is the American emerald found?
It occurs in the northern United States and Canada.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Corduliidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_emerald
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.