Black Darter - Sympetrum danae

Identification difficulty
VC55 Status

Rare vagrant in Leicestershire and Rutland.

Further Information

There have been just six records of this species in VC 55. These were at Charnwood Lodge NR in 1965 and again in 1985, at Great Bowden Pit in 1992, at May Meadow, Barlestone in 1995, at Barrow-on?Soar in 1997, at Nature Alive NR, Coalville in 2002, and at Woodhouse in 2003. Like the Common Hawker, the Black Darter is generally restricted to acidic heathlands within the UK and similarly it would therefore be expected to occur here only as a rare wanderer. The closest breeding sites to VC 55 lie in the Derbyshire Peak District, some 50 km to the North West of the Leicestershire boundary.

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020

UK Map

Species profile

Common names
Black Sympetrum, Black Darter
Species group:
insect - dragonfly (Odonata)
Kingdom:
Animalia
Order:
Odonata
Family:
Libellulidae
Records on NatureSpot:
0

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

10km squares with records

The latest images and records displayed below include those awaiting verification checks so we cannot guarantee that every identification is correct. Once accepted, the record displays a green tick.

In the Latest Records section, click on the header to sort A-Z, and again to sort Z-A. Use the header boxes to filter the list.

Latest images

Latest records