Dragonflies
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.
PHOTO-GUIDE TO ODONATA OF THE AREA
All the species listed below, photographed locally. Observational notes added to each to aid identification; these come from the reference sources, plus any notes of my own. Normally they're a summary of diagnostic points that can be seen in the photograph.
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. 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 and DSLR 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, 4th Edition fully revised 2018. Princeton University Press. Highly recommended, even for France. Britain's Dragonflies
Les Libellules de France, Belgique et Luxembourg. Collection Parthénope (publishers). biotope-editions
Libellules du Poitou-Charentes. Poitou-charentes Nature (publishers). Poitou-charentes Nature
DragonflyPix
Société française d’Odonatologie
Libellules
Liste des odonates de la Vienne
Liste des Odonates dans l'Indre
For what it's worth, my own obs blog is here Latest sightings including images
In March 2017 we created a small dragonfly pond/wildlife area in the garden. By the end of that year 28 odonata species had been recorded, and by July 2024 the total had reached 35. To put that into perspective, 42 resident breeding species have been recorded in the UK. The pond is about 8 metres by 4 metres. POND/GARDEN ODONATA LIST
Big thanks to Dave and Sue Smallshire, Devon, UK, for help, advice and encouragement
Thanks also to Eric Male-Malherbe, formerly at Cherine reserve, who gave initial help with a couple of sites in the Brenne; Eric has written several useful papers on the status of odonata species in the Brenne
List of odonata species observed in the southern Vienne/Brenne 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 names are used, 'alternative' names (where they exist) as proposed by K-D B Dijkstra are in yellow.
1 = Very common
2 = Fairly common
3 = Scarce
4 = Rare or localised
Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens) - Caloptéryx éclatant ------1
Beautiful Demoiselle (Calopteryx virgo ssp. meridionalis) - Caloptéryx vierge ------2
Common Emerald Damselfly (Lestes sponsa) - Leste fiancé ------2
- Common Spreadwing
Scarce Emerald Damselfly (Lestes dryas) - Leste dryade ------4
- Robust Spreadwing
Southern Emerald Damselfly (Lestes barbarus) - Leste sauvage ------2
- Migrant Spreadwing
Small Emerald Damselfly (Lestes virens ssp. vestalis) - Leste verdoyant ----2
- Small Spreadwing
Willow Emerald Damselfly (Lestes viridis) - Leste vert ------2
- Western Willow Spreadwing
Winter Damselfly (Sympecma fusca) - Leste brun ------2
- Common Winter Damsel
Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura elegans) - Agrion élégant ------1
- Common Bluetail
Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly (Ischnura pumilio) - Agrion nain ------4
- Small Bluetail
Common Blue Damselfly (Enallagma cyathigerum) - Agrion porte-coupe ------2
- Common Bluet
Variable Damselfly (Coenagrion pulchellum) - Agrion gracieux ------4
- Variable Bluet
Azure Damselfly (Coenagrion puella) - Agrion jouvencelle ------1
- Azure Bluet
Southern Damselfly (Coenagrion mercuriale) - Agrion de Mercure ------4
- Mercury Bluet
Dainty Damselfly (Coenagrion scitulum) - Agrion mignon ------2
- Dainty Bluet
Red-eyed Damselfly (Erythromma najas) - Naïade aux yeux rouges ------2
- Large Redeye
Small Red-eyed Damselfly (Erythromma viridulum) - Naïade aux corps vert ------2
- Small Redeye
Goblet-marked Damselfly (Erythromma lindenii) - Agrion à long cercoïdes ------1
- Blue-eye
Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) - Petit nymphe au corps de feu ------2
- Large Red Damsel
Small Red Damselfly (Ceriagrion tenellum) - Agrion delicat ------1
- Small Red Damsel
White-legged Damselfly (Platycnemis pennipes) - Agrion à larges pattes ------1
- Blue Featherleg
Orange White-legged Damselfly (Platycnemis acutipennis) - Agrion orangé ------3
- Orange Featherleg
Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta) - Aeschne mixte ------1
Southern Migrant Hawker (Aeshna affinis) - Aeschne affine ------2
- Blue-eyed Hawker
Norfolk Hawker (Anaciaeshna isosceles) - Aeschne isocèle ------3
- Green-eyed Hawker
Southern Hawker (Aeshna cyanea) - Aeschne bleue ------1
- Blue Hawker
Emperor Dragonfly (Anax imperator) - Anax empereur ------1
- Blue Emperor
Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope) - Anax napolitain ------4
Vagrant Emperor (Hemianax ephippiger) - Anax porte-selle ------4
Hairy Dragonfly (Brachytron pratense) - Aeschne printanière ------3
- Hairy Hawker
Dusk Hawker (Boyeria irene) - Aeschne paisible ------3
- Western Spectre
Club-tailed Dragonfly (Gomphus vulgatissimus) - Gomphus très commun ------2
- Common Clubtail
Pronged Clubtail (Gomphus graslinii) - Gomphe de Graslin ------4
Yellow Clubtail (Gomphus simillimus) - Gomphus similaire ------4
Western Clubtail (Gomphus pulchellus) - Gomphus gentil ------2
Blue-eyed Hooktail (Onychogomphus uncatus) - Gomphus à crochets ------3
- Large Pincertail
Green-eyed Hooktail (Onychogomphus forcipatus) - Gomphus à pinces ------1
- Small Pincertail
Golden-ringed Dragonfly (Cordulegaster boltonii) - Cordulégastre annelé ------3
- Common Goldenring
Downy Emerald (Cordulia aenea) - Cordulie bronzée ------2
Brilliant Emerald (Somatochlora metallica) - Cordulie métallique ------3
Yellow-spotted Emerald (Somatochlora flavomaculata) - Cordulie à corps jaune ---3
Two-spotted Dragonfly (Epitheca bimaculata) - Cordulie à deux taches ------4
- Eurasian Baskettail
Orange-spotted Emerald (Oxygastra curtisii) - Cordulie à corps fin ------2
Four-spotted Chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata) - Libellule à quatre taches ------1
Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa) - Libellule déprimée ------1
Scarce Chaser (Libellula fulva) - Libellule fauve ------3
- Blue Chaser
Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum) - Orthétrum réticulé -----1
White-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum albistylum) - Orthétrum à stylets blancs ------1
Keeled Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens) - Orthétrum bleuissant ------3
Southern Skimmer (Orthetrum brunneum) - Orthétrum brun ------4
Large White-faced Darter (Leucorrhinia pectoralis) - Leucorrhine à gros thorax ---4
- Yellow-spotted Whiteface
Dainty White-faced Darter (Leucorrhinia caudalis) - Leucorrhine à large queue ----4
- Lilypad Whiteface
Ruddy Darter (Sympetrum sanguineum) - Sympétrum rouge sang ------1
Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) - Sympétrum à nervure rouges ------4
Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) - Sympétrum à côtés striés ------1
Vagrant Darter (Sympetrum vulgatum) - Sympétrum vulgaire ------4
- Moustached Darter
Southern Darter (Sympetrum meridionale) - Sympétrum méridional ------1
Scarlet Darter (Crocothemis erythraea) - Libellule écarlate ------1
- Broad Scarlet
(58 species)