Cobra Clubtail

Compared to other local clubtails, the Cobra is very black. Note also the dark bar on the face. Several years ago, when I saw my first specimen, I wondered about the name. Not so when Scott King and I found this one on the road leading into the Cannon Valley Wilderness Area south of Northfield. When the dragonfly raised its abdomen, it did give the impression of a hooded snake.

Cobra Clubtails prefer sandy-bottomed streams with a slow to moderate current (Paulson 2011). The Cannon River in flood stage did not seem to deter these individuals.