Bug FAQRinged Boghaunter
Williamsonia lintneri · Order: Odonata · Family: Corduliidae
The ringed boghaunter is a small emerald dragonfly with gray-black coloring and yellow rings on each abdominal segment. It lives in acidic bogs of the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada, especially in Wisconsin, Michigan, New England, New York, New Jersey, and Ontario. Adults fly early in the season, mainly in May and June, and perch flat on the ground or tree trunks.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The eyes are gray and each abdominal segment has a yellow ring. The wings are clear with a hint of yellow at the base.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
The adult is a small emerald dragonfly with overall gray-black coloration.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is found in acid bogs in the northeastern U.S. and southeastern Canada. Larvae develop in pools within acid wooded bogs, while adults are rarely seen breeding.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults emerge early, flying mainly in May and June. Unlike other emeralds, they perch flat on the ground or tree trunks.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
The species is an early-flying dragonfly, most active in May and June.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
A 2016 discovery added Ontario, Canada to its known range.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It can be confused with the ebony boghaunter, but the yellow abdominal rings set it apart.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 8 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Rhode Island, Maine, Connecticut, Wyoming.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Where can I find ringed boghaunters?
Look for them in acidic bogs of the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada, especially in Wisconsin, Michigan, New England, New York, New Jersey, and Ontario.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Corduliidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williamsonia_lintneri
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-25 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-25.