- Lifespan
- Approximately 7–8 weeks as adults; total lifecycle from egg to adult roughly 1–2 years depending on water temperature.
- Size & Weight
- 28–31 mm body length; wingspan 52–58 mm.
- Habitat
- Found around shallow, warm, well-vegetated ponds, lakes, and ditches with emergent vegetation and open basking areas.
- UK Distribution
- Widespread across England and Wales, becoming scarcer in Scotland; generally resident with local populations boosted by late-summer emergence.
- Diet
- Carnivorous; hunts small flying insects including gnats, midges, flies, and smaller dragonflies.
- Prey
- Gnats, midges, small flies, and occasionally smaller dragonflies and damselflies.
- Predators
- Birds (particularly kingfishers and warblers), spiders, fish (in nymphal stage), and robber flies.
- Mating Season
- May to September, with peak activity June to August.
- Breeding
- Females lay hundreds of eggs in batches directly into water or wet vegetation; nymphs develop over 1–2 years through multiple instars, with emergence typically in June–September.
- Behaviour
- Males are highly territorial and perch prominently on water margins or vegetation, darting out to intercept prey or chase rivals. Females tend to avoid males outside mating periods. The species is one of the earliest dragonflies to appear in spring.