Sympetrum danae
Black Darter
male - Cheshire, England - August 2007
Black Darter is a species that has a strong preference for breeding in acidic conditions, such as moorlands and bogs, and consequently is more common in the north of Britain than the south.
male - Cheshire, England - August 2007
Worldwide, Black Darters are found in suitable habitat throughout the Northern Hemisphere. In North America they are known as Black Meadowhawks.
mature male - Cheshire, England - August 2007
Immature males are initially quite female-like in their colouration, but get darker as they age and in mature males the orange markings on their abdomen are restricted to the first couple of segments.
immature male - Cheshire, England - August 2007
immature male - Cheshire, England - August 2007
At only 30mm long Black Darter is the smallest of the European darters.
female - Cheshire, England - August 2009
female - Cheshire, England - August 2007
female - Highland, Scotland - July 2003
Ray Wilson owns the copyright of all images on this site.
They may not be used or copied in any form without prior written permission.
raywilsonphotography@googlemail.com