Black Saddlebags

The Black Saddlebags is a large, striking member of the skimmer family Libellulidae, named for the broad dark patches at the base of the hindwings that resemble saddlebags slung across the body when the dragonfly is in flight. The rest of the body is mostly black, making this one of the darkest large dragonflies found in North America.

Like its relatives the gliders, the Black Saddlebags spends much of its time on the wing rather than perched, cruising steadily over fields, parking lots, and water bodies while hunting. Its broad hindwings give it a powerful, buoyant flight that allows for long-distance travel, and the species is known to undertake seasonal migratory movements in some regions.

Widespread across most of the continental United States and southern Canada, the Black Saddlebags is a familiar sight patrolling high above open areas on warm summer days.

• Large, mostly black-bodied dragonfly
• Broad dark brown-black patch at the base of each hindwing, the namesake "saddlebags"
• Wings otherwise clear to lightly smoky
• Strong, direct flight, often high overhead rather than low over water
• Lookalikes: Red Saddlebags and other Tramea species show reddish rather than black body coloring; Carolina Saddlebags has a reddish body with similar wing patches

Common across nearly all of the continental United States and into southern Canada, the Black Saddlebags breeds in ponds and lakes with some vegetation but is frequently seen foraging far from water over fields, meadows, and even urban areas. It is especially conspicuous in late summer and fall, when individuals may join loose migratory movements, sometimes traveling alongside other migratory dragonflies over considerable distances.

This species is a strong, near-constant flier, patrolling at height over open ground and rarely settling to perch during the heat of the day. Adults capture small flying insects such as mosquitoes, gnats, and flying ants on the wing, making them effective predators over open habitats away from water as well as around ponds. In fall, Black Saddlebags are among the North American dragonflies known to make long-distance movements, sometimes traveling in loose aggregations with other migratory species.

Females typically oviposit alone, flying low over open water and tapping the abdomen to release eggs, sometimes without the male standing guard. Eggs hatch into aquatic nymphs that live among vegetation and sediment in ponds and lakes, preying on other invertebrates as they grow through repeated molts. Depending on climate and region, nymphs may complete development within a single season or overwinter before emerging as adults, with populations in warmer parts of the range potentially producing more than one generation per year.