Its colors are not quite as ostentatious as those of the Migrant Hawker dragonfly that I featured yesterday, but the bright red bodies of what I believe are Common Darter dragonflies (Sympetrum striolatum) made them equally hard to miss at the botanical garden in Brussels, Belgium. The colors of these beautiful little dragonflies remind me of those of the Autumn Meadowhawk (Sympetrum vicinum), a species that I see quite often in my home area of Northern Virginia and the shared Latin genus name of Sympetrum indicates their relationship.
I was able to photograph male Common Darters perched in several different spots and I particularly like the way that the fiery red of their bodies contrasts with the cooler green of the backgrounds.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved
Hi Mike, the top and bottom images are a male Ruddy Darter (Sympetrum sanguineum) Which have all black legs, a more intense (usually) red body which has a narrow waist. The Common Darter has a yellow stripe on the legs, the middle image I’m unsure as the legs are in shade but the colour suits Common.
Yikes. European dragonflies are even tougher to identify than I thought. Thanks for the assistance.
That last shot is wonderful, Mike. I love the texture.
Thanks, Dan. That shot was one of the last ones I took as I was leaving the park. I had left the water’s edge and was walking on a path when I happened to saw the dragonfly land. I too was drawn to the texture, which was a bit hard to capture because of the strong, direct sunlight.
Very nice Mike! And colorful! The dragonflies here are beginning to look the worst for wear! Plus dragonfly season is winding down.