Southern hawker
This large dragonfly is unusually bold, often flying in close to investigate a person standing near its pond rather than fleeing.
| Where | Ponds, lakes and woodland rides |
|---|---|
| Size | 86 to 106 mm wingspan |
| When | June to October |
Males are dark with green spots along most of the abdomen and blue bands on the last two segments, while females are brown with green markings; the wingspan reaches 86 to 106 mm.
Larvae live underwater in still ponds and take up to two years to develop before the adults emerge to hunt over water and woodland rides in summer.
Traits
Habitat
Wetland
Colour
Green, Blue, Brown
Active
Day
To people
Harmless; does not sting and rarely bites if handled
Activity through the year
Often confused with
The migrant hawker is noticeably smaller, with a wingspan around 80 mm, and lacks the two bright yellow shoulder stripes on the thorax that mark the southern hawker.
Questions
Is the Southern hawker dangerous to people?
Harmless; does not sting and rarely bites if handled.
When can you see the Southern hawker?
The Southern hawker can be seen from June to October, by day.
Plate retouched from a photo by gailhampshire from Cradley, Malvern, U.K, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons Licence
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Dragonflies and damselflies›Hawkers›Aeshna
Last updated 2026-09-26. Every entry is checked against published sources.