Granddad’s Camera
Southern hawker, as it appears in the game

No.208 · Butterflies, moths and other insects · Uncommon

Southern hawker

Aeshna cyanea

A large, green-and-blue dragonfly that patrols garden ponds and even hovers close to inspect a photographer. It hunts well away from water.

When to look

July to October, mostly at day.

Time of day

Best time
Sunny afternoons, July to early October. Females lay eggs in pond-edge plants in late summer.
Where in the game
Millbrook (pond, garden and canal)
Size
Body about 70 mm long
Wingspan
Up to about 110 mm
Status
Increasingly common across most of England and Wales (British Dragonfly Society)

Diet

Flying insects such as midges, flies and small moths, caught on the wing.

Habitat

Well-vegetated small ponds, often garden ponds; hunts along hedges, woodland rides and gardens, sometimes well into the evening.

Breeding

Eggs are laid in vegetation at the water's edge; larvae live underwater for a period of time before emerging in summer.

Field signs

  • Large dragonfly with green and blue spots on a dark body; male mostly blue
  • Patrols a beat along the hedge or pond edge, often hovering, and comes close to people
  • Empty larval skin (exuvia) clinging to a pond-side plant stem

Did you know?

  • The species has become increasingly common in recent decades across most of England and Wales (British Dragonfly Society).
  • It is very inquisitive and will often come close to look at people.
  • It hunts well away from water, so you may see it in a garden with no pond of its own.

Moments worth waiting for

  • Hovering inspection July to September, day
    A southern hawker hovers half a metre from your lens, then zips away along the hedge.

Photo tip

Stand still near a pond edge on a warm afternoon; hawkers return to the same beat. Use a fast shutter (1/2000 s) and continuous focus; a hovering male makes the best shot.

Be a good naturalist

Don't handle or net dragonflies. Leave pond-edge vegetation standing so females can lay and larvae can emerge.

The law

Not specially protected in Britain, but ponds are sensitive habitats.

Checked against