Aeshna cyanea
Date First Recorded in the Garden: 31/07/2024
Family Aeshnidae: The Hawkers
Some of the world’s largest dragonflies belong to this family, which fly almost constantly, as the above set of clips demonstrates, often whilst seeking insect prey on which they feed. Their aquatic larvae are also predators of insects.
Their markings are most often blue/green and they always have their wings extended.
Southern Hawker
We’ve long suspected that the large dragonflies which we see from time to time foraging about the Garden were Southern Hawkers, but we never seemed able to get a good enough view before the individual quickly departed over the fence. However, the individual filmed below obviously appreciated the pond we created in 2023 and stayed long enough for us to film/observe it for a few minutes.
We were able to identify the Hawkers ‘key characteristics, as provided in the Field Guide to the Dragonflies of Britain and Europe *1, using close-focusing binoculars. In particular, the large green thoracic patches shown on this blurry still taken from the above video clip.
A few days later on the 10th August we filmed a female oviposting on various pieces of deadwood around the pond. Hopefully next year we will see the next generation emerging.
*1 Dijkstra, K-D.B., A. Schroter & R. Lewington. 2020. Field Guide to the Dragonflies of Britain and Europe. Second Edition. Bloomsbury Publishing, London
Wildlife Garden 