Dragons in the woods

As dragonfly egg and larvae (nymphs) develop in fresh water, dragonflies are dependent on access to lakes, ponds or streams to reproduce. Different species prefer different types of freshwater; some like ponds or pools with water that is standing still, some like water bodies that are ephemeral (that only persist for short amounts of time) and some like fast running water like streams.

But, the dependence on fresh water for reproduction does not mean that dragonflies can only be found in connection to a pond or a lake. During a visit to Tovetorp, a research station located to the south of Stockholm, and run by the Department of Zoology at Stockholm University, I observed five different species of dragonfly in the middle of the boreal forest.

Brown hawker (Aeshna grandis)

Ruddy darter (Sympetrum sanguineum)

Southern hawker (Aeshna cyanea)

Common darter (Sympetrum striolatum)