Prince Baskettail

The Prince Baskettail is a large dragonfly in the emerald family (Corduliidae), notable for its near-constant flight behavior and its habit of foraging well away from water over meadows and clearings. It occurs across much of the eastern and central United States.

The species has a brownish body with pale markings and distinctive brown patches at the base of each wing, and its large size combined with almost continuous, patrolling flight makes it one of the more recognizable large dragonflies where it occurs.

• Brown to dark body with pale yellow or greenish markings along the thorax and abdomen
• Brownish patches at the base of each wing, sometimes with additional spotting further out
• Green or blue-green eyes typical of many emerald family dragonflies
• Notably large size and long, slender abdomen
• Distinguished from smaller baskettail species by its larger size and more extensive wing markings

Prince Baskettails breed in lakes, ponds, and slow-moving rivers, but adults frequently forage far from water over meadows, woodland edges, and open fields. The species ranges across much of the eastern and central United States. Adults are typically seen from late spring through summer.

This dragonfly is known for its almost tireless flight, cruising back and forth over open areas for extended periods while catching small flying insects such as gnats, mosquitoes, and flies. It rarely perches for long, making it easier to identify by its flight behavior and silhouette than by close inspection. The aquatic nymphs are sit-and-wait predators among submerged debris and vegetation in their home lake or pond, preying on other invertebrates and contributing to the aquatic food web.

Females lay eggs in a distinctive manner, releasing a long, gelatinous string of eggs that they dip repeatedly into the water while flying over the pond or lake surface. The eggs hatch into nymphs that live among bottom debris and vegetation, growing through a series of molts over roughly one to two years while preying on small aquatic invertebrates. When development is complete, mature nymphs climb out of the water to undergo a final molt into the winged adult form. Adults live for several weeks, spending much of that time in near-continuous foraging flight before mating and egg-laying occur.