Key Takeaways
- • The Wisconsin Dragonfly Society initiated a formal campaign in 2025 to redesignate the state insect from the honeybee (adopted in 1977) to the Hine's emerald dragonfly, a federally endangered species native to Wisconsin.
- • The Hine's emerald dragonfly (Somatochlora hineana) is among the most endangered dragonflies in the United States, with stable populations confined to a handful of locations including Door County's Ridges Sanctuary, plus documented populations in Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, and Ontario.
- • Wisconsin residents voted on the proposal through the Department of Natural Resources Conservation Congress Spring Hearing Questionnaire (Question #24), open April 13-15, 2026, with Wisconsin Dragonfly Society President Edgar Spalding seeking legislative action pending sufficient public response.
- • The species was presumed extinct by the 1950s, rediscovered in Door County in 1987, and placed on the federal endangered species list in 1995; it currently faces threats from habitat destruction and groundwater contamination.
- • The proposed redesignation would preserve the honeybee's status as the official state agricultural insect while elevating the Hine's emerald dragonfly to represent the state's broader biodiversity and conservation priorities.
Summary
The Wisconsin Dragonfly Society launched a formal initiative to alter Wisconsin's state insect designation nearly 50 years after the honeybee was officially adopted in 1977. Under the proposed change, the honeybee would be redesignated as the state agricultural insect while the Hine's emerald dragonfly would become the official state insect. The proposal was submitted to voters through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Conservation Congress Spring Hearing Questionnaire, which opened for public response on April 13, 2026, and ran through April 15.
According to Edgar Spalding, President of the Wisconsin Dragonfly Society, the Hine's emerald dragonfly represents a more appropriate emblem for the state due to its ecological significance and native status. The species serves dual ecological functions: it preys on pest insects such as mosquitoes, biting flies, and gnats, while also serving as a critical food source for game fish species. Adult females lay more than 500 eggs during their lifetimes, contributing to population sustainability in suitable habitats.
The Hine's emerald dragonfly carries substantial conservation weight. Originally discovered in 1929 and formally named in 1931, the species was believed extinct by the 1950s before specimens were rediscovered in Door County in 1987. It was placed on the federal endangered species list in 1995 and remains federally protected today. Current populations persist in limited pockets across the country, including Door County's Ridges Sanctuary—where researchers have catalogued 71 dragonfly and damselfly species—as well as populations in Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, and Ontario. The Ridges Sanctuary has recorded this species during the late June through August season, with researchers including University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Ph.D. student Benjamin Whitaker conducting ongoing documentation and study.
Primary threats to the species include habitat destruction and groundwater contamination. The dragonfly depends on small cool calcareous marshy streams on bedrock for larval development, making it highly sensitive to environmental degradation. Conservation efforts and research at facilities like The Ridges Sanctuary support the species' long-term viability and inform environmental policy decisions at governmental, landowner, and conservation organization levels. Spalding indicated that sufficient public response to the DNR questionnaire could prompt the Wisconsin Legislature to formally consider the redesignation.
According to Edgar Spalding, President of the Wisconsin Dragonfly Society, the Hine's emerald dragonfly represents a more appropriate emblem for the state due to its ecological significance and native status. The species serves dual ecological functions: it preys on pest insects such as mosquitoes, biting flies, and gnats, while also serving as a critical food source for game fish species. Adult females lay more than 500 eggs during their lifetimes, contributing to population sustainability in suitable habitats.
The Hine's emerald dragonfly carries substantial conservation weight. Originally discovered in 1929 and formally named in 1931, the species was believed extinct by the 1950s before specimens were rediscovered in Door County in 1987. It was placed on the federal endangered species list in 1995 and remains federally protected today. Current populations persist in limited pockets across the country, including Door County's Ridges Sanctuary—where researchers have catalogued 71 dragonfly and damselfly species—as well as populations in Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, and Ontario. The Ridges Sanctuary has recorded this species during the late June through August season, with researchers including University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Ph.D. student Benjamin Whitaker conducting ongoing documentation and study.
Primary threats to the species include habitat destruction and groundwater contamination. The dragonfly depends on small cool calcareous marshy streams on bedrock for larval development, making it highly sensitive to environmental degradation. Conservation efforts and research at facilities like The Ridges Sanctuary support the species' long-term viability and inform environmental policy decisions at governmental, landowner, and conservation organization levels. Spalding indicated that sufficient public response to the DNR questionnaire could prompt the Wisconsin Legislature to formally consider the redesignation.
Go deeper than the headline
Research every firm in this story, track the ones that matter and get the daily briefing — free for 7 days.