Blue-eyed darner
The blue-eyed darner is a big dragonfly with bright blue eyes. Its dark body is decorated with blue stripes and spots. It zooms around catching little flying insects for lunch.
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Fun facts
Both the males and the females have bright blue eyes.
It is often seen far from water, flying over gardens and even car parks in towns.
Males fly up and down a regular patrol path at about the height of a grown-up's waist.
Females lay eggs on water plants and floating sticks, some above the water and some below.
It is one of the first darners to come out in spring.
Most asked questions about Blue-eyed darner
?Why is it called the blue-eyed darner?
Because both males and females have bright blue eyes.
?How big is the blue-eyed darner?
It is a large dragonfly, about 6.5 to 7 centimetres long.
?Is the blue-eyed darner dangerous?
No. It has no sting and is harmless to people.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Rhionaeschna multicolor
- Named by
- Hagen, 1861
- Group
- Dragonflies and damselflies
- Family
- Aeshnidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Odonata > Aeshnidae
- Lives on
- North America
Where the facts come from
- Blue-eyed darner (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Mike Baird. CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
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