their own right. The Amateur Entomologists' Society have produced a helpful leaflet
(Keen. 1977) which gives advice on the rearing of dragonfly nymphs in captivity.
DRAGONFLIES AND THEIR HABITATS IN ESSEX
Of the thirty-eight species of dragonflies now believed to breed in Britain, twenty-five
have been reliably recorded in Essex since 1980. In addition, the rare migrant
Sympetrum flaveolum (the Yellow-winged Darter) has been recorded twice in the county
during the survey period. This makes twenty-six species since the current survey of the
county's dragonflies began. Of these, Cordulegaster boltonii (the Golden-ringed
Dragonfly) and Aeshna juncea (the Common Hawker) are two species which are almost
certainly not breeding in the county. A further species, Sympetrum danae (the Black
Darter), has only just been added to the list, and its status in the county has yet to be
determined. This leaves twenty-two breeding species, though the survival of one of
these, Coenagrion pulchellum (the Variable Damselfly). seems uncertain at the time of
writing.
British species which do not breed in Essex include the four Arctic species, which are
confined to Scotland, some five species of acid bog and wet heath and moorland
(habitats insignificantly represented in Essex), and a further species (Coenagrion
mercuriale, the Southern Damselfly) which is at the northern limit of its range in
southern England and South Wales. Another species, Aeshna isosceles (the Norfolk
Hawker) has a very localised broadland distribution, whilst two more. Gomphus
vulgatissimus (the Club-tailed Dragonfly) and Libellula fulva (the Scarce Chaser) are rare
species of moving water habitat. Both have been recorded from Essex in the distant past
(see Appendices A and B). but are almost certainly now absent from the county.
Cordulegaster boltonii has a mainly western and northern distribution in Britain, and
also seems an unlikely coloniser of Essex for habitat reasons. Finally. Somatochlora
metallica (the Brilliant Emerald Dragonfly) has never been recorded in Essex, although
it has a mainly south-eastern distribution in Britain, and often occurs together with
Cordulia aenea (the Downy Emerald) which does breed in Essex.
If we take into account both the habitat requirements and the known geographical
range of the thirty-eight resident British species, then at twenty-two species, the Essex
dragonfly fauna is close to the maximum number to be expected.
A. Where to Look for Dragonflies
Many dragonflies, especially the more powerful hawkers and the migratory species
are often found at considerable distances from their breeding sites. Dragonflies can be
found almost anywhere, from suburban gardens and city streets to woodland rides,
green lanes, hedgerows, and even on the beach! Apart from their breeding sites, the best
places to search for species such as the larger hawkers and some of the darters are
sheltered but sunny rides in woodland. One of the few benefits to wildlife of the conifer
plantations favoured by the Forestry Commission and private forestry companies is
that the wide rides maintained in these plantations do provide ideal feeding sites for
these species of dragonfly.
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