Kristi managed to get this lucky shot, showing how the front and rear wings oppose each other in flight. Paddle-tailed Darners are one of the most common darners in Montana and can be found across the entire state. They tend to inhabit lakes and ponds that have dense shoreline vegetation as well as marshy areas, fens, and slow moving streams and sloughs. Darners are incredibly fast and agile hunters, catching a wide variety of flying insects in midair — mosquitos, moths, flies, flying ants …even smaller dragonfly species.
Size: 57-120 mm long
Photo by: Kristi DuBois on 8/25/21 in Missoula County, MT