Brown Hawker

Aeshna grandis — the brown hawker — is one of the largest dragonflies in Britain and northern Europe and one of the few European dragonflies with conspicuously TINTED WINGS in flight. The species is widespread across northern and central Europe, from Britain east through Scandinavia and Russia. Adults are 7-8 cm body length, 10 cm wingspan. The species' defining visual feature is the wing coloration: both forewings and hindwings are heavily tinted with WARM AMBER-BRONZE coloration that is conspicuous in flight — the wings appear bronze-orange even at distances of 50-100 m, making the brown hawker one of the most-recognized large European dragonflies. Body coloration is bronze-brown with thin pale dorsal stripes; males have small blue spots on the abdominal segments while females have small yellow spots in the same positions. The species is one of the most aerial of European dragonflies — territorial males patrol the same beat at lake and pond margins for HOURS without landing, hunting mosquitoes, midges, and other small flying insects in continuous slow gliding flight. The continuous patrol is one of the species' most-recognizable behaviors and is featured in nearly every British and northern European dragonfly identification guide. Brown hawkers are also unusual in their willingness to fly at dusk — most dragonflies stop hunting at sunset, but brown hawkers continue hunting into twilight, taking advantage of the dusk peak in mosquito and midge activity. Naiads develop in still and slow-moving freshwater (especially lakes, large ponds, and slow rivers) over 2-3 years. The species is widespread across the British Isles and is a common sight at well-vegetated lake margins from July through September. The species is harmless to humans (no sting, no bite) and is a major beneficial mosquito predator.