Large, swift-flying dragonflies, usually marked with blue, green or yellow. Adults hunt tirelessly for insects over ponds, lakes and streams, and wander widely in search of prey. Most species rest in a vertical position, but a few sit flat on the ground. Females have a prominent ovipositor and lay eggs in water plants or floating wood above or below the water line. Larvae are slender and sleek, with flat labia lacking bristles; they are rapacious hunters among water plants. Recently, A. californica and A. multicolor have been transferred from Aeshna to Rhionaeschna.
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The most boreal of our darners. In the Yukon, it is the only dragonfly known to breed north of the British Mountains; uncommon in the southern valleys. Yukon records are from a variety of peatlands, marshes and ponds, many with floating aquatic mosses. In B.C., it lives in subalpine peatlands with ponds. Perches low on tree trunks, or on stones, logs or moss.
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