Black Darter
Sympetrum danae
Print fact sheet (PDF)
Britain's smallest dragonfly, and a specialist of acid peat bogs and moorland pools.
A small dragonfly. Mature males turn almost entirely matt black with a few yellow flecks; females and immatures are yellow and black with a distinctive black triangle on top of the thorax. Black darters are birds of the bog — they need acidic, peaty pools, mires and moorland lochans, which makes the peatlands of Dumfries and Galloway good ground for them.
Behaviour
Like other darters it hunts from a low perch, often on bare peat, sphagnum or heather, returning repeatedly to the same spot. It is strongly tied to acid water with abundant sphagnum moss, so it is a useful indicator that a bog is in reasonable condition. Larvae develop in a single year in shallow, warm, peaty pools that dry out too often for larger species.
When to see it
Quick facts
- Family
- Skimmers and darters (Libellulidae)
- Size
- Body 29–34 mm · Britain's smallest dragonfly
- Status
- Native; a peatland specialist, commonest in Scotland
Photo by S. Rae from Scotland, UK, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons