Bug FAQSwamp Darner
Epiaeschna heros · Order: Odonata · Family: Aeshnidae
Also called: American Swamp Darner, Heroic Darner
The swamp darner is a dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae and the only living species of its genus. It lives in eastern North America. Adults have been seen catching red imported fire ants during mating flights.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Epiaeschna heros, called the swamp darner, is a darner dragonfly in the Aeshnidae family.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is found in eastern North America.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
During nuptial flights it feeds on red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta).
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Its range is eastern North America.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It is the only living member of its genus, which is otherwise known from many fossil species in Eurasia.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 36 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, New Jersey, Ohio, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, New York, Illinois.
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
Same family (Aeshnidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiaeschna_heros
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.