A striking dragonfly, with a bright green thorax and green or blue eyes. Sexes can be distinguished by the abdominal colour, which is sky blue with a black stripe in the male and green and brown in the female.
Latin name: Anax imperator
Size: 75-80mm long
Overview
The Emperor Dragonfly is one of our largest and most brightly coloured dragonflies. A fiercely territorial hawker, it spends much of its time in mesmerising flight patrolling its patch for prey. It is so active; it even eats small prey on the wing. Its speed and excellent sight make it a deadly predator, feeding on most flying insects. It flies with a distinctive droop in the end of its abdomen, which makes it easily recognisable. Large ponds or lakes with lots of lush vegetation are its favourite habitat and the female likes to lay her eggs in floating pondweed. She cuts little slits in their stems to protect the eggs from fish. Once the larvae hatch, they live underwater for around 2 years. Their jaw is extendable and lined with sharp hooks, which allow it to catch and devour its underwater prey. In summer, a growth spurt occurs and the larvae leave the water before going through the last of up to 15 molts. The beautifully coloured adult is short lived, whizzing around for about 4 weeks.
In the garden
Most likely to be seen in gardens with large ponds but may also be seen if you live near a slow moving river or lake. Add plenty of vegetation to your pond to attract them and allow some floating pondweed for egg laying. Butterflies, tadpoles and even other dragonflies make up its diet so the presence of these creatures will also draw it in. Emerging around May, it stays active until September but is only really found in the south of the country.