About the Dragonflies

Just like with Bird– and Butterfly–fauna, central Sweden offers an internationally interesting combination of Dragonflies and Damselflies.
The many wetlands and shallow lakes of the Black River Valley area, the coniferous Bergslagen with plenty of wet bogs and myres, the nearby Baltic coast and the reed fringed lagoons of lake Mälaren, surrounded by an open, deciduous landscape, together offer a rich variety of habitats and hence species.

From giant to tiny
The giants among Dragonflies – the Hawkers – are impressive and beautiful creatures, and perhaps the biggest international attraction of the Dragonfly–fauna of Central Sweden. Among no less than 8 species of the Aeshna genus, two – the Baltic– and the Green Hawkers –  are among the least distributed Dragonflies in Europe. Here they have some of Europes most important breeding areas.

Here you also find the tiny Pygmy Damselfly or Sedgling (Nehalennia speciosa), the midget among Damselflies and one of Europes most endangered Damselfly species, extinct in most of it´s western range.

Scandinavian specialities
Other Scandinavian specialities include Eurasian Baskettail/ Two-spotted Dragonfly (Epitheca bimaculata) several Leucorrhinia-species, including small–, Ruby– and Yellow–spotted Whiteface, topped up with rare Lilypad– and Dark Whiteface.

The Emeralds are also well represented with not only the widespread Downy Emeralds, but also Brilliant–, Northern– and Yellow-spotted Emeralds.

Among a good handful of the numerous Sympetrids a couple are non–British species like Yellow–winged Darter (Sympetrum flavoleum) and Moustached Darter (Sympetrum vulgatum)

Add to that more good species like Blue/Scarce Chaser (Libellula fulva), Small Pincertail (Onychogomphus forcipatus), Common Clubtail (Gomphus vulgatissimus), Keeled Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens), Common Goldenring (Corduelegaster boltoni) and you realise that central eastern Sweden is up for a good Dragonfly holiday.

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Dragonflies likely to be seen during June and August. Bold denotes important species (in brackets include possible but not very likely due to flight time or vagrancy):


birdsafarisweden
 
June

Calopteryx splendens
C. virgo
Ischnura elegans
Coenagrion pulchellum
C. puella
C. hastulatum
C. lunulatum
(C. johanssoni)
(C. armatum)
Erytromma najas
Pyrrhosoma  nymphula
Nehalennia speciosa
Platycnemis pennipes
Aeshna grandis
Brachytron pratense
Gomphus vulgatissimus
Onychogomphus forcipatus
Cordulegaster boltonii
Cordulia aenea
Somatochlora metallica
S. flavomaculata
S. arctica
Epitheca bimaculata
Libellula quadrimaculata
L. depressa
L. fulva
Orthetrum cancellatum
Leucorrhinia dubia
L. rubicunda
L. pectoralis
L. albifrons
L. caudalis


August

Lestes dryas
L. sponsa
(L. virens)
Ischnira elegans
Enallagma cyathigerum
C. johanssoni
Erytromma najas
(Aeshna mixta)
A. grandis
A. caerulea
A. cyanea
A. viridis
A. juncea
A. subarctica
A. serrata
Onychogomphus forcipatus
Cordulegaster boltonii
Somatochlora metallica
S. flavomaculata
S. arctica
Libellula quadrimaculata
L. depressa
L. fulva
Orthetrum cancellatum
O. coerelescens
Leucorrhinia dubia
L. albifrons
Sympetrum danae
S. sanguineum
S. flaveolum
S. striolatum
S. vulgatum