The Wildlife of
Croome

 
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Dragonflies - The Ruddy Darter

First seen on Friday 8th July 2016 at Croome

The Ruddy Darter can sometimes be confused with the male Common Darter, but as well as being a more vivid red, it has black legs and a 'waisted abdomen' (the tail bit goes in at the middle). They are around from July to October and can often be found basking in the sun, perched on various plants near the water - often on grass like these, photographed near the main lake.

When laying eggs, some dragonflies fly in tandem. The second photograph shows this - they were laying eggs on the short stretch of river at the end of the lake. Female dragonflies usually have very different colours to the male, and often their colours bear no relationship to each other. Dragonflies that are flying in tandem is a great way to match the colours. Confusingly, the imature male looks like a female common darter!