Frühe Heidelibelle
(Sympetrum fonscolombii)

The Red-Veined Darter is one of those Southern European species which has been extending its range Northwards. It's a medium-sized dragonfly; in fact, for a Darter it's quite large and heavy-looking. In our area it's very common and occurs in huge numbers, e.g. at some nearby rice fields. Sympetrum fonscolombii is a very pretty, easily recognisable species; besides the male's deep red colour and red wing-veins (both of which are yellow in females and immature males), and a whitish patch on the side of the male's thorax, the most distinguishing feature is the blue underside of the eyes.

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