Arizona has a great diversity of ecosystems ranging from arid deserts to artificial and natural bodies of water, wet alpine meadows, and conifer forests. This diversity is associated with a large variety of animals, especially insects and including odonates. In addition and given its proximity to Mexico, Arizona is home to many species that reach the northern limit of their geographic distribution and sometimes are found nowhere else - or almost so - in the United States.
This web site presents photographic documentation on odonate species that have been officially recorded in Arizona. As is the case for just about all organisms, individual variation exists within each species that is related not only to sex but also to age, geographic region, and other factors. We wanted to give an idea of this variation by showing multiple instead of just one or two pictures of each species.
This site will hopefully foster further interest in odonates by facilitating their identification, and stimulate additional observations related to their natural history. We hope that you will enjoy using Arizona Dragonflies and will learn from it!
In case you find an error or experience a technical difficulty while using the site, we'd appreciate your letting us know about it promptly by using the Feedback messaging system.