Buttonhead Pipewort vs Comet Darner

Eriocaulon heterolepis compared with Anax longipes

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Buttonhead Pipewort	Comet Darner
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Poales (Grasses)	Odonata (Odonata)
Family	Eriocaulaceae	Aeshnidae
Genus	Eriocaulon	Anax
Species	Eriocaulon heterolepis	Anax longipes

Conservation Status

Buttonhead Pipewort

LC — Least Concern

Comet Darner

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Buttonhead Pipewort	Comet Darner
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Buttonhead Pipewort

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Comet Darner

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found in United States.

Buttonhead Pipewort

The Buttonhead Pipewort (Eriocaulon heterolepis) is a species in the genus Eriocaulon. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Comet Darner

<em>Anax longipes</em>, the comet darner, is a large dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae, assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It is endemic to the United States, where it inhabits lakes, ponds, and slow-moving rivers with clear water and abundant emergent vegetation. The comet darner is one of the largest North American dragonflies and is distinguished by its brilliant coloration, including a green thorax and a red-spotted abdomen in mature males. The species name longipes refers to its notably long legs. Adults are powerful aerial predators, feeding on a variety of flying insects captured in flight. Larvae are aquatic and predatory, developing in the benthic zone of freshwater habitats where they feed on invertebrates and small vertebrates. The comet darner undertakes seasonal dispersal movements and is most commonly observed near its breeding water bodies during the warmer months.