Tags
British dragonflies, British odonata, dragonflies at Radipole, dragonfly, Libellula fulva, Odonata, RSPB Radipole, Scarce chaser
Well, hello there!
Those amazing blue eyes are the easiest way to distinguish the male Scarce chaser (Libellula fulva) from other quite similar blue-bodied dragonflies like the Keeled skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens) and the male Black-tailed skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum) (both featured in my blog The skimmers, published in June 2017).
Both sexes of Scarce chaser have brown eyes and a bright orange abdomen when they first emerge, something I didn’t realise when I wrote my first blog about this species, Lifer: Scarce chaser, in June 2025 (though the dragonfly I labelled as female was indeed a female). As the females age, they change to an ochre-brown colour, while the males change to a pruinose pale blue, with a dark tip.
In case you don’t know, pruinescence is a covering of wax particles that develops on the skin as the male dragonfly ages, making it look blue. That pruinescence often gets scraped off during the mating process when the female is holding on to the male’s abdomen. If you look at the image above, you can see these darker scrape marks around the central area of the male’s abdomen, and, looking at the image below of the dragonflies mating, you can see how the female holds on to the male from below, causing the scratching in that area.
These recent photos and sightings were, of course, at RSPB Radipole, in exactly the same location where I saw my first Scarce chasers in 2025. And, just as last year, these dragonflies were very co-operative photographic subjects, though I did eventually just put down my camera and watch as they went about their daily lives. Such stunning creatures!
