The Common Darter is a small, restless dragonfly that will perch on vegetation, or frequently, a stone or the ground.  They are relatively easy to photograph because they have the habit of continually returning to perch in exactly the same places!  Immature males and females have a paler - yellowish to light brown - colour than the reddish mature male pictured above.  Whilst many dragon and damsel flies are found during quite short periods only, the Common Darter flies for most of the summer, emerging any when between June and October.

 

The male perched in a slightly different position on the same iris seed head as above.  He returned to it at least twenty times during that afternoon.  

 

 

 

 

 

Female perched on metal fence post

 

 

 

 

The female Common Darter, she was in a very restless mood, searching for an ovipositing site, with the male darting above her.

 

 

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