There it remained until 1897, when James George Needham established the genus Ladona, and transferred the blue corporal (and several other species) to it.

[4] However, recent molecular DNA studies strongly suggest that Ladona is a monophyletic group which is a sister taxon to Libellula.

[6] The etymology of the genus name Ladona is unknown, but the specific name deplanata, meaning "flattened" or "expanded", probably refers to the shape of the blue corporal's abdomen.

[7] It favors the still, infertile waters of sandy-bottomed ponds, lakes and pits, and breeds less frequently in streams than its close relatives do.

[10] Unlike most skimmers—and indeed most dragonflies—the blue corporal typically perches on the ground, though it will sometimes cling vertically to sunlit trees during the late afternoon.

Males spend much of their time patrolling the edges of ponds and lakes, resting on banks, low vegetation or floating debris between flights.

[12] As larval instars, they prey primarily on midge and mayfly larvae; they are also known to take ostracods and cladocerans, though these make up only a very small percentage of their diet.

[15] The blue corporal overwinters as a final instar nymph,[11] and the entire population of an area emerges over a one-month period in early spring.

[16] The International Union for Conservation of Nature has not officially assessed the blue corporal's status, but the dragonfly is said to be common across its range.