Moorland Hawker - Common Hawker - Aeshna juncea - UK - European Dragonfly photo The Moorland Hawker - Common Hawker ( Aeshna juncea ) habitat photo shown below is where I first encountered this species in the acidic pools on the edge of the Pennine Hills near to my home. The old English name of Common Hawker may [...]
Aeshnidae Aeshna – Mosaic Hawkers – Mosaic Darners (NA) Migrant Hawker - Aeshna mixta - UK - European Dragonfly photo The Migrant Hawker ( Aeshna mixta ) is usually seen in August and September in the UK. I clearly remember the first record in my county of Cheshire UK in August 1983. The north-easterly [...]
Blue Featherleg - White-legged Damselfly - Platycnemis pennipes - UK - European Dragonfly photo The Blue Featherleg - White-legged Damselfly ( Platycnemis pennipes ) get its name like the rest of the family from legs which have long bristles on widened tibiae making them look like feathers. All are non-metallic in colour and have wide heads. Their [...]
Small Red Damsel - Small Red Damselfly - Cerigrion tenellum - UK - European Dragonfly photo The Small Red Damsel - Small Red Damselfly ( Ceriagrion tenellum ) flies weakly and keeps well down in the vegetation, usually close to the edge of the water. In the UK its preferred habitat is similar to that of [...]
Large Red Damsel - Large Red Damselfly - Pyrrhosoma nymphula - UK - European Dragonfly photo The Large Red Damsel - Large Red Damselfly ( Pyrrhosoma nymphula ) was to be my first introduction to the Odonata as I mentioned in my Home page. I still think it is one of the most beautiful damselflies. [...]
Blue-eye - Erythromma lindenii - European Dragonfly photo The Blue-eye ( Erythromma lindenii ) flies fast and low and frequently sits horizontally on emergent twigs and vegetation far out on the water. It is one of a group previously referred to as Red-eyed Damselflies. This is another species with its strongholds throughout Western Europe and North Africa and [...]
Erythromma – Brighteyes – Red-eyed Damselfies Large Red-eye - Red eyed Damselfly - Erythromma najas - UK European Dragonfly photo The Large Redeye - Red eyed Damselfly ( Erythromma najas ) in the first photo is a male resting on duckweed rather than the lily-pads on which they typically perch – usually just far enough out for [...]
Mercury Bluet - Southern Damselfly - Coenagrion mercurial - UK - European Dragonfly photo The Mercury Bluet - Southern Damselfly ( Coenagrion mercuriale ) is a rare species in the UK although it is less scarce in France, Spain and Italy but it is confined to Western Europe and the Northern Maghreb. It is quite a small blue [...]
Enallagma – ‘American’ Bluets Common Bluet - Common Blue Damselfly- Enallagma cyathigerum - UK European Dragonfly photo The Common Bluet - Common Blue Damselfly ( Enallagma cyathigerum ) is as common as its name implies and is one of the most widespread damselflies in the region and indeed the world. It is found mainly on larger [...]
Sahara Bluetail - Ischnura saharensis- European Dragonfly photo The Sahara Bluetail (Ischnura saharensis) is again very similar to the Common Bluetail (Ischnura elegans) but it is endemic to the Canary Islands and the Western Sahara where these photographs were taken in Morocco. It is one of the smallest Ischnura. It breeds in many different types of [...]