Our Island Resident Species-Dragonflies(2).

Of the five species of  Darter that breed in the UK, we have three of them here. Firstly the Red-veined Darter, a regular migrant every year to our Island shores and since 2014 or perhaps before, numerous individuals have been recorded at a site just inland from our south-western coastal cliffs. The location itself is a reservoir on farmland and it is  reasonable to think that they are breeding at the site.

The other two darter species are the Ruddy and the Common. Both  appear in June although, as in 2020 the first Ruddy Darter can be seen in May. They share the same habitat but the Ruddy is generally less numerous than the Common. The male Ruddy Darter has a waisted abdomen, blood-red in colour when mature, but male immatures are a yellow-ochre which is similar to that of the female.

The Common Darter is widespread and seen here in a wide variety of habitats. Not only close to water but in woodland rides, gardens, and field edges. Perhaps the best way to separate the Common from the Ruddy, especially in females and immatures, is to look at the legs. All black in the Ruddy and brown to black with a yellowish stripe in the Common.