This year has been a good one for odonates. I have enjoyed ode-hunting in a few new provinces, discovered new parks and ponds right here in Ottawa, found lifers in three different provinces, re-discovered species I hadn’t seen in years, and added quite a few new species to places I thought I knew well. Despite the changing climate and weather systems that are occasionally severe enough to damage vulnerable ecosystems, odonates continue to survive and thrive in many parts of eastern Canada. Here are my top ten odonata highlights of the year.
10. Same Day Elusive Clubtail and Black Saddlebags
If you had asked me to calculate the odds of seeing a mature adult Elusive Clubtail and a Black Saddlebags in Ottawa on the same day I would said they were astronomical. Mature Elusive Clubtails are rare despite this species being a known breeder along the Ottawa River – after emergence they spend their time in the leafy canopy of mature trees or flying far from shore in the middle of the river. Black Saddlebags are vagrants – they do not breed here, and while they are the most common vagrant in our area, they are still not seen every year and only in a few select places. On September 22, 2025, however, I got extremely lucky and found both – the clubtail at Sheila McKee Park, and the Black Saddlebags at the Carp River Restoration Area, a spot I had just started visiting for odes.
Amber-winged Spreadwings used to be easily found at Bruce Pit, but as it has been a few years since I’ve seen any there I turned to iNaturalist to see if any were being reported regularly anywhere. To my surprise some had been found at Bill Teron Park in Kanata North not too far from home. I was thrilled to find two spreadwings right along the shore of the pond that day – and then a third the same afternoon at Bruce Pit!
In August 2024 I spent two weeks on the road with my Dad and step-mother touring the east coast. When I told my friend Chris Lewis about our plans, she told me about a bog she and Bob had visited in Cape Breton back in 2007 where she had seen four different darner species, including the difficult-to-find Zigzag Darner. Although I didn’t see any Zigzag Darners on my visit there, which would have been a lifer, I had a wonderful time watching the Variable and Black-tipped Darners patrolling the ponds on the bog and catching one of each.
7. Uhler’s Sundragon in Greenwood, NS
The third lifer of my spring trip to Nova Scotia was unexpected – a couple of Uhler’s Sundragons at Crystal Falls! Several were patrolling the pool below the falls and along the shoreline, and I waited for a long time on the sand before I finally caught two males. I knew what they were as soon as I got a good look at them, as these emeralds had been on my wish list for a while now. Who knew they would be easier to find in Nova Scotia than in Ottawa?
The Yarmouth Rail Trail was one of my favourite ode-ing spots in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. It’s not easy for me to get new dragonflies for my life list in Ottawa, but there were a few in Nova Scotia I targeted on our trip in May/June. I was thrilled when I spotted the White Corporal and a Mantled Baskettail fairly close together near a lake along the Yarmouth Rail Trail! These are both Maritime species that do not live in Ontario, and as they both seem to be a southern Nova Scotia specialty, I was keen to find them while in Yarmouth. There were also of other interesting odes along the rail trail, including Springtime Darners, Lancet Clubtails, and even an unidentified spiketail!
5. Mill Creek Nature Park in Moncton, NB
This park was the highlight of my time in Moncton, NB. Not only was it beautiful in its own right with a large reservoir, a waterfall, and a forest stream, it also had several good ode species including Harpoon Clubtail, Springtime Darner, Stream Cruiser, River Jewelwing, and Aurora Damsel. There were lots of singing warblers as well!
4. Bruce Pit
Bruce Pit has been the site of a number of amazing ode sightings this year. Not only did I find the Amber-winged Spreadwings there after a long absence, but other amazing odes showed up as well: Calico Pennants and Eastern Amberwings; Halloween Pennants; a Cherry-faced Meadowhawk; and even a beautiful yellow-form Variable Darner! The diversity was amazing there this past summer even without any Black Saddlebags showing up!
After getting three lifers in Nova Scotia in the spring, I finally got one in Ottawa as well. The Mottled Darner is a species that is difficult to find in our area; the 2008 checklist considers it “very rare”. It was definitely not what I was expecting when I saw it hang up on a branch in front of me at Sheila McKee Park after tangling with a Canada Darner! It stayed long enough for me to get some great looks at the distinctive markings on its thorax, as well as some close-up photos.
2. Two lifer clubtails in Quebec
A trip to Quebec usually brings something exciting and rare (or at least, not easily found on the Ottawa side of the river). Chris, Sophie and I had an amazing time at La Vérendrye Wildlife Reserve just beyond Grand-Remous. We went looking for Common Sanddragons and found a few quite easily, as well as a Boreal Snaketail – a species that wasn’t even on my radar that day! The gorgeous scenery alone was worth the trip, but two lifers made it that much more special!
1. Sheila McKee Park
Sheila McKee Memorial Park has, without question, become my new favourite spot along the Ottawa River for odes…even the magical Marlborough Forest cannot compare to this wonderful spot, as I found myself choosing Sheila McKee over Marlborough several times this past year. It began with the discovery of a Mustached Clubtail on June 25th, followed by the Brush-tipped Emeralds, Williamson’s Emerald, Black-tipped Darner, and mass emergence of Elusive Clubtails all on July 1st, Cobra Clubtails on two different dates, my lifer Mottled Darner on July 27th, and the mature Elusive Clubtail on September 22nd. The clubtail diversity here is the best I’ve seen on this side of the river, with an array of interesting darners and emeralds as well. In the end I found 35 ode species there this year, five more than Bruce Pit and ten more than Marlborough Forest!
2024 was an incredible year for odes. I ended up with 73 species in Ottawa County and 85 across eastern Canada. While I’m sad that it will be another four and a half months until our local species start emerging, I have a lot of fond memories to look back on over the winter. If 2025 is anything like 2024 it will be a memorable year indeed!
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