Fundy Nature Notes, Quotes and Anecdotes ²

Zig-Zag Darner / Aeschne à zigzags
(Aeshna sitchensis)

Size: 57-60mm (2.4 inches), the smallest of our mosaic darners in the Maritimes and about the same size as the even less common Harlequin Darner, an early season bog darner that has no blue colouration .

First Fundy record: *** First found in the park and Albert County on August 12th, 2014 on a small bog south of the Shepody Rd. A picture of that individual is included above, showing the characteristic thorax pattern.

Status/Habitat: Uncommon and local in New Brunswick. Found in sphagnum bogs and fens, especially those with cool bog ponds and muskeg pools

Flight period:: mid-June to mid-September

Nature Notes: This species gets its name from its distinctive zig-zag-shaped, first thoracic stripe. Rarely seen in swarms. Unusual for darners, the female of this species lays her eggs directly into the organic material at the edge of a bog pool, i.e. in the flark.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Denis Doucet, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Denis Doucet
2. (c) Denis Doucet, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

More Info

• iNaturalist.ca taxon page
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