Broad-bodied Chaser
Libellula depressa
As the name suggests, a squat, very broad-bodied species, the male having a blue abdomen, and black-brown wing patches at the base of each wing. The female has a yellowish brown body, yellow patches on the sides of the abdomen and black-brown wing patches at the base of each wing.
This was until recently a very scarce county insect, but there has been a marked increase in records since 1992. Lincolnshire is very much at the northern edge of the species range, so perhaps this spread is due to the better summers of late. It is very much a coloniser of new ponds, and was recorded at the Lincolnshire Trust headquarters in Horncastle only a couple of weeks after a new pond been filled. It has also bred successfully in a very small garden pond in Washingborough. It will utilise a range of water-bodies with still or very slow moving water, often well vegetated, and exhibits some tolerance to mild pollution.
It can be seen on the wing from mid-May to early August.
Distribution map
Male
Female
