Red-eyed Damselfly

Name: Red-eyed Damselfly

Scientific name: Erythromma najas

Category: Minibeasts

Nature Stars: 60

What are nature stars?

About: A small but robust damselfly, about 6 cm long. Mostly black in colour, with a pale blue band at the end of the body, blue patches on the thorax and bright, blood red eyes. A damselfly of ponds and lakes, where it can often be seen sat on lily pads. On the wing from the end of May throug to August.

How to identify: More robust than the Blue-tailed Damselfly, which doesn't have red eyes. The Small Red-eyed Damselfly is very similar, but a little smaller with orangey-red eyes.

Where: Southern and central England, spreading north and into Wales.

Natural Superpowers

• Predator: 60
• Agility: 70
• Rarity: 40
• Cute factor: 30
• Traveller: 40

Fantastic fact: The closely related Small Red-eyed Damselfly was first recorded in this country in 1999 and is now found throughout south east England and parts of the Midlands.

Photograph credit: Matthias Zepper