Eleven different species have been recorded in the North Isles, but the distribution of sightings is patchy and it's very likely that they are present in more places.
The table below shows the eleven species of dragonflies and damselflies recorded in the North Isles and the individual islands where they have been spotted.
| Island | Breeding species | Non-breeding species | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emerald Damselfly | Large Red Damselfly | Common Blue Damselfly | Blue-tailed Damselfly | Common Hawker | Golden -ringed Damselfly | Black Darter | Four-spotted Chaser | Lesser Emperor | Vagrant Emperor | Red-veined Darter | |
| Rousay | |||||||||||
| Sanday | |||||||||||
| Shapinsay | |||||||||||
| Eday | |||||||||||
| Egilsay | |||||||||||
| Westray | |||||||||||
| North Ronaldsay | |||||||||||
| Papa Stronsay | |||||||||||
| Papa Westray | |||||||||||
| Stronsay | |||||||||||
| Wyre | |||||||||||
(Graeme Walker)
When should I be looking?
Dragonflies and damselflies are most visible on calm sunny days with little or no wind. The table below gives an indication of when you are most likely to see the eight Orkney species on the wing. The key flight period is shown in dark green with the early or late flight period shown in pale green.
| Common name | Latin name | May | June | July | August | September | October | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emerald Damselfly | Lestes sponsa | ||||||||||||
| Large Red Damselfly | Pyrrhosoma nymphula | ||||||||||||
| Common Blue Damselfly | Enallagma cyathigerum | ||||||||||||
| Blue-tailed Damselfly | Ischnura elegans | ||||||||||||
| Common Hawker | Aeshna juncea | ||||||||||||
| Golden-ringed Dragonfly | Cordulegaster boltonii | ||||||||||||
| Four-spotted Chaser | Libellula quadrimaculata | ||||||||||||
| Black Darter | Sympetrum danae | ||||||||||||
(Graeme Walker)
Help with identification
This pdf is created by Graeme Walker, the Odonata county recorder. It provides more information about Orkney’s dragonflies and damselflies and includes pictures to help you identify the species that you find.
Where to send your records
Send your records to, Graeme Walker email: [email protected]
Or to the Orkney Wildlife Information and Records Centre email: [email protected]
You can also post your sightings on the Orkodo Facebook page here.