Black-tailed Skimmer
Orthetrum cancellatum
The males combination of blue abdomen with distinctive black tip and clear wings make it readily identifiable. The female is as equally distinctive with its yellowish brown body with black zigzag marks along the abdomen and clear wings.
This is a very notable species for the county in that for a while, Messingham Sand Quarry was the northernmost site for the species in the country (1990) although its continued range expansion means that it has probably colonised South Yorkshire at the time of writing.
It was first recorded in Britain in Essex in 1934, not reaching Lincolnshire until 1985, when it was seen at Cherry Willingham. Favoured breeding areas often contain bare ground, so new gravel pits are ideal for its colonisation, and this is certainly true for the county. The Deeping, Bain, south-west Lincoln and Messingham sites are all mineral working areas and form the strongholds for this species.
Distribution map
Male
Female
