Dragonfly
Golden-ringed Dragonfly
Cordulegaster boltonii
Britain's longest dragonfly, striped like a hornet.
Least ConcernIUCN status
40.0km/h top speed
10.1cm wingspan
8.4cm body length
5.0years lifespan
Speed against a 60 km/h scale — the ceiling for the fastest dragonflies.
Black with gold rings and startling green eyes. The larvae bury themselves in stream silt for up to five years before emerging.
Habitat. Acidic upland streams and moorland runnels in western Europe
Posts featuring Golden-ringed Dragonfly
🌊 Wings & Water
Five Years Underwater: The Half of a Dragonfly's Life Nobody Photographs
The bright adult you see over the water is a brief final chapter. The book is mostly set underwater, in the dark.