Dragonflies & damselflies
Dainty White-faced Darter, Brenne; a rare species with an affinity to lilypads (...and apparently bracken! )
Of the 100 or so odonata species that occur in France, 60 species have been recorded in the Vienne, and 64 in the departement Indre, covering the Brenne. Most of these species can be seen easily at etangs and rivers with free public access, although some have more specific habitat requirements. It is not unusual to find over 20 species around a single, well-established etang. Again, use of IGN large-scale 1:25 000 mapping usually pays dividends. The best months for watching are June and July.
Dragonflies & damselflies gallery
Occasionally we net odonata using a large butterfly net. With Dave Smallshire's expert guidance, we have both learnt to confidently handle individuals by the wings for examination, and sometimes record shots - see Yellow-spotted Emerald photo, this page. We never catch or handle tenerals; their wings are too soft. This definitely adds another dimension to odonata watching, and does them no harm at all - see Dijkstra page 6. Otherwise, all individuals photographed in the wild using a variety of compact-zoom digital cameras
Main sources of reference;
Field Guide to the Dragonflies of Britain and Europe, Klaas-Douwe B Dijkstra/R Lewington, British Wildlife Publishing, 2006. The Bible
The order of odonata species follows this guide
Britain's Dragonflies, Dave Smallshire/Andy Swash, Wildguides, 2004. Currently going to reprint
DragonflyPix www.dragonflypix.com Good identification reference
Société française d’Odonatologie www.libellules.org
Libellules http://photosinsectes.free.fr
Odonata list Vienne Vienne Nature
Odonata list Indre (inc. the Brenne) Indre Nature
List of odonata species observed in the VIENNE/BRENNE WITHIN AN HOURS DRIVE OF MOULISMES, since our arrival in January 2006. The abundance guide may help if you live or are staying in the general area. It is based only on my observations since January 2006, and may or may not reflect the true status within the area. English (BDS) and French common names are used
1 = Very common
2 = Fairly common
3 = Scarce
4 = Rare or localised
BANDED DEMOISELLE - Calopteryx eclatant ------1
BEAUTIFUL DEMOISELLE - Calopteryx vierge ------2
COMMON EMERALD DAMSELFLY - Leste fiance ------2
SCARCE EMERALD DAMSELFLY - Leste dryade ------3
SOUTHERN EMERALD DAMSELFLY - Leste sauvage ------2
SMALL EMERALD DAMSELFLY (ssps. virens, vestalis) - Leste verdoyant ----2
Small Emerald female, ssp. vestalis, Brenne; yellow 'jowls' (back of head) is a feature shared only with Southern Emerald
WILLOW EMERALD DAMSELFLY - Leste vert ------2
COMMON WINTER DAMSELFLY - Leste brun ------3
BLUE-TAILED DAMSELFLY - Agrion elegant ------1
SCARCE BLUE-TAILED DAMSELFLY - Agrion nain ------4 (Brenne)
COMMON BLUE DAMSELFLY - Agrion porte-coupe ------1
VARIABLE DAMSELFLY - Agrion gracieux ------3
AZURE DAMSELFLY - Agrion jouvencelle ------1
SOUTHERN DAMSELFLY - Agrion de Mercure ------3
DAINTY DAMSELFLY - Agrion mignon ------2
RED-EYED DAMSELFLY - Naiade aux yeux rouges ------2
SMALL RED-EYED DAMSELFLY - Naiade au corps vert ------2
GOBLET-MARKED DAMSELFLY - Agrion a longs cercoides ------1
Goblet-marked Damselfly male, Moulismes; common on rivers and large etangs, the bright blue eyes are diagnostic
LARGE RED DAMSELFLY - Petit nymphe au corps de feu ------2
SMALL RED DAMSELFLY - Agrion delicat ------1
WHITE-LEGGED DAMSELFLY - Agrion a larges pattes ------1
ORANGE WHITE-LEGGED DAMSELFLY - Agrion orange ------2
MIGRANT HAWKER - Aeschne mixte ------1
SOUTHERN MIGRANT HAWKER - Aeschne affine ------2
NORFOLK HAWKER - Aeschne isocele ------3 (Brenne)
SOUTHERN HAWKER - Aeschne bleue ------1
EMPEROR DRAGONFLY - Anax empereur ------1
LESSER EMPEROR - Anax napolitain ------4 (Brenne)
HAIRY DRAGONFLY - Aeschne printaniere ------3
DUSK HAWKER - Aeschne paisible ------4
Dusk Hawker male, Vienne; an elusive species of rivers and streams
CLUB-TAILED DRAGONFLY - Gomphus tres commun ------3
YELLOW CLUBTAIL - Gomphus similaire ------3
WESTERN CLUBTAIL - Gomphus gentil ------2
BLUE-EYED HOOKTAIL - Gomphus a crochets ------4
GREEN-EYED HOOKTAIL - Gomphus a pinces ------1
GOLDEN-RINGED DRAGONFLY - Cordulagastre annele ------3
DOWNY EMERALD - Cordulie bronzee ------2
BRILLIANT EMERALD - Cordulie métallique ------4 (Vienne)
YELLOW-SPOTTED EMERALD - Cordulie a taches jaunes ------3 (Brenne)
Yellow-spotted Emerald male, Brenne; can be fairly common but localised
TWO-SPOTTED DRAGONFLY - Cordulie à deux taches ------4
ORANGE-SPOTTED EMERALD - Cordulie a corps fin ------3
FOUR-SPOTTED CHASER - Libellule a quatre taches ------1
BROAD-BODIED CHASER - Libellule deprimee ------1
SCARCE CHASER - Libellule fauve ------3
BLACK-TAILED SKIMMER - Orthetrum reticule -----1
WHITE-TAILED SKIMMER - Orthetrum a cercoides blanc ------1
KEELED SKIMMER - Orthetrum bleuissant ------2
SOUTHERN SKIMMER - Orthétrum brun ------4 (Vienne)
LARGE WHITE-FACED DARTER - Leucorrhine a gros thorax ------4 (Vienne)
Large White-faced Darter male, Vienne; a rare western European species
DAINTY WHITE-FACED DARTER - Leucorrhine à large queue ------4 (Brenne)
RUDDY DARTER - Sympetrum rouge sang ------1
RED-VEINED DARTER - Sympetrum a nervures rouges ------3
COMMON DARTER - Sympetrum a cote strie ------1
SOUTHERN DARTER - Sympetrum meridional ------2
SCARLET DARTER - Libellule ecarlate ------2
Total 55 odonata species 18/5/2010