I saw my first Common darter (Sympetrum striolatum) of the year on 26 June, though I haven’t seen many more yet. However, they are known to be common throughout Britain, except for the Scottish highlands and upland locations in the north of England, so I’m sure I’ll be seeing more in the coming weeks – the core months for sightings are from June right through to the end of November, depending on the weather conditions.

At first glance, you might think the two dragonflies shown above are the same species – I certainly did – but they’re not. And, fortunately, as I had seen this other species at this particular location three years ago, I took lots of photos. The second photo (and my third photo, below) shows a Ruddy darter (Sympetrum sanguineum). The Common darter has pale stripes down its legs, whereas the Ruddy darter’s legs are black. Another feature to look for is the black T-shaped mark on the top of the Ruddy darter’s thorax – the Common darter doesn’t have this. If in doubt, the British Dragonfly Society website has excellent side-by-side photos of the tops and sides of the various darter species, which I find very helpful.

Many of you who live in England have probably seen a Ruddy darter but they are not common in the southwest or far north, and, in Wales, are only seen in the eastern counties nearest to England. I found the two shown here during a recent visit to Slade Wood in Monmouthshire. Now I need to find one of the blood-red male Ruddy darters, as they look quite stunning in the photos I’ve seen. Watch this space!