Items16The creator’s order
  1. 1Common darterCommon darterBritain and much of Europe. A mature male has a red or orange abdomen. Look for pale lengthwise stripes on its legs, a useful check when more than one reddish darter flies at the same pond. It often comes back to the same low perch after a short flight.0
  2. 2Emperor dragonflyEmperor dragonflyBritain and much of Europe. A large emperor can spend long stretches patrolling above a pond. An adult male has a green thorax and a bright blue abdomen with a dark line along the top. Its abdomen can look slightly bowed downward in flight.0
  3. 3Libellula depressaLibellula depressaBritain and much of Europe. The broad-bodied chaser has a short, wide abdomen, blue in a mature male and usually yellow-brown in a female. Dark patches sit at the bases of the wings. Look for a regular perch beside sunny ponds, including newly created ones.0
  4. 4Banded demoiselleBanded demoiselleBritain and much of Europe. A male has a dark band across each wing, with clear areas on either side. Watch for the bands opening and closing as he flies low over a vegetated river or stream. Females generally have greenish wings and lack that broad dark band.0
  5. 5Azure damselflyAzure damselflyBritain and much of Europe. On a settled blue male, look for a small black U just behind the thorax. The mark helps distinguish it from other blue damselflies at still or slow water. Binoculars or a side-by-side photo can make a better check than the overall color.0
  6. 6Blue-tailed damselflyBlue-tailed damselflyBritain and much of Europe. From above, the male’s abdomen looks mostly dark except for a bright blue patch on the eighth segment, just short of the tip. Females vary in color, so the male often makes an easier first identification.0
  7. 7Scarlet dragonflyScarlet dragonflyMuch of continental Europe, with records in Britain. A mature male wears scarlet across the face, thorax, and abdomen, with a flat, broad abdomen and a small wash of amber near each hindwing base. The female is duller. Watch a resting individual to see how red its body is compared with a common…0
  8. 8Green darnerGreen darnerMuch of North America. A common green darner looks big and fast above a pond. The green thorax contrasts with a blue abdomen in mature males, while females are more variable. Look for the dark bull’s-eye just in front of the eyes, visible in this photograph.0
  9. 9Twelve-spotted skimmerTwelve-spotted skimmerMuch of North America. Each wing bears three dark patches. A mature male adds pale patches between them, making a checkerboard that stands out over open water. The female has the dark spots without the white between them.0
  10. 10Blue dasherBlue dasherMuch of the United States and southern Canada. A mature male has a powdery blue abdomen and a thorax marked with stripes. It often watches a pond from a small projecting perch. In sun, the abdomen can point steeply upward while the dragonfly stays in place.0