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spectacular members of this whole Order of insects -
the closely related 'banded agrion' (Calopteryx
splendens) and 'demoiselle agrion' (Calopteryx virgo).
Both are large insects (much larger than the other
dragonflies) with metallic greenish, purple or smokey
brown wings and bodies. This colouring of the wings,
as well as their weak, fluttering flight makes them
look almost like butterflies. The male of splendens
can be easily distinguished from that of virgo in that
the former has the dark colouring concentrated in a
patch towards the centre of each wing, whilst the latter
has almost wholly darkened wings. Calopteryx splendens
is, in fact, a common insect in Essex, breeding in the
less polluted rivers. So far it has been recorded on
the Stour, Colne, Blackwater, the Chelmer-Blackwater
Canal, and the Roman River, as well as in several
localities to the west of the county. Watching
upwards of a dozen individuals of this species in
bright sunshine on the River Blackwater is one of my
unforgettable memories of this summer. The demoiselle
agrion, on the other hand, is much scarcer. Until
this year there had been no definite Essex records for
many years, but provisional identification of nymphs
by Adrian Chalkley led to my confirmation of the
presence of this species on the Roman River in May of
this year.
It's clear, then, that lots of exciting work is still
to be done mapping the dragonflies of Essex. Any
records of dragonflies will be gratefully received.
If you'd like to become actively involved in the
mapping scheme even better. But any relevant
information will be welcomed - including sites which
appear to be good for dragonflies - even if identification
of their species is uncertain. The west of the
county is especially under-recorded and we have so
far no records at all from the following 10 km. squares
in Essex:-
TL 44, 54, 64, 74, 84, 63, 42, 62,
61, 30, 50