A tale of two darters

18 Saturday Jul 2026

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British dragonflies, British odonata, Common Darter, dragonfly, Odonata, Ruddy darter, Sympetrum sanguineum, Sympetrum striolatum

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!

Red and yellow and brown

09 Friday Aug 2024

Posted by sconzani in insects

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British dragonflies, Common Darter, dragonfly, Sympetrum striolatum

Generally speaking, female Common darters (Sympetrum striolatum) are yellow and males are red. However, as with so many things, the reality is not so black and white – or, rather, yellow and red.

240809 common darters (1)

Immature Common darters are usually yellow in colour, regardless of sex; and, as they age, the colours of both sexes often become dull, the males losing their vibrancy and looking quite brownish, the females turning reddish so they resemble males.

240809 common darters (2)

A darling darter

01 Friday Jul 2022

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British dragonflies, Common Darter, dragonfly, Sympetrum striolatum

Common darters have been out and about in my locale for the past week, though they are still few and far between, and flighty. This little darling is the first I’ve managed to sneak up on for some reasonable photos.

220701 common darter

211/366 Rhubarb and custard

29 Wednesday Jul 2020

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

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British dragonflies, Common Darter, dragonfly, Sympetrum striolatum

From Brett Westwood and Stephen Moss’s Wonderland: A Year of Britain’s Wildlife Day by Day:
‘Common and widespread though it may be, this small, neat dragonfly is always worth a second look. The males are brick red and the females yellow, so I use the aide-memoire “rhubarb and custard” to remember this.’

200729 common darter (1)

Which dragonfly is being described? I’m sure many of you worked out it was the Common darter, which is flying now in my local parks and reserves, though in quite small numbers so far.

200729 common darter (2)

Not so Common darters

20 Thursday Jul 2017

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

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British dragonflies, Common Darter, dragonflies, dragonfly, National Dragonfly Week, Sympetrum striolatum

170720 Common darter (1)

I haven’t been seeing a lot of dragonflies this year – probably just me not going to the right places, rather than an actual scarcity – but I have seen two Common darters (Sympetrum striolatum) in the past week. Although I blogged about these beauties around this time last year, I thought I’d share these latest images to celebrate National Dragonfly Week, which is happening right now.

170720 Common darter (2)

I had a bit of luck this week as I finally managed to photograph one of these lovely creatures in flight. It’s not the sharpest of shots but I’ll take it.

170720 Common darter (3)

National Dragonfly Week: The Common Darter

25 Monday Jul 2016

Posted by sconzani in insects, nature

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Common Darter, dragonflies, dragonfly, National Dragonfly Week 2016, Sympetrum striolatum

Did you know that the dragonfly is one of the fastest flying insects in the world? The Smithsonian says that, with a speed of 56 kms (35 miles) per hour, it is actually the fastest but other sources say the Horsefly is faster – no wonder I can never escape being bitten by those nasty but beautiful flies! Dragonflies also have amazing manoeuvrability, hovering like helicopters, dive-bombing their prey, and even flying backwards.

160725 (1) Common darter male

For day three of our celebration of dragon and damselflies, let me introduce you to one of these incredibly speedy dive-bombing hoverers, the Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum). As their name suggests they are exceedingly common in England and Wales, though they shy away with the colder climes further north, and, yes, they do dart, particularly when pursuing insects to eat. They can appear quite similar to Ruddy Darters, but those dragonflies have a ‘waisted’ abdomen and black legs whereas the Commons have yellow-striped legs.

160725 (2) Common darter imm male

My photos are only of males – they are lighter in colour when immature – and show them in very typical positions, perched on logs, fences, twigs, wires and farm gates while they keep an eye out for passing insects. Though they need the water of ponds, canals, lakes, even ditches to lay their eggs in, they can often be seen away from water. They are not territorial so they do, apparently, assemble in quite large numbers, with ‘groups of several hundred in a single field’ having been recorded and ‘lines of insects … seen along the top of field gates’. Oh to see such a sight!