Description

Over all length 54 - 63mm. The male has a blue and black abdomen, brown thorax with yellow shoulder stripes and blue eyes. The female has a green and black abdomen, brown thorax with incomplete shoulder stripes and  the eyes much less blue. In both sexes the thorax is quite hairy. This is normally the first dragonfly to appear on the reserve each spring.

Habitat

Can be found basking in low vegetation away from water, along a sheltered hedgerow. It breeds in water bodies with plenty of emergent vegetation.

Status and distribution

This is a recent colonist, first recorded on the reserve in 2012 and recorded in modest numbers every year since. It is mainly restricted to the south-eastern quarter of Britain.

Best time to see

Early May to late June.