The early dragonfly (Brachytron pratense) belongs to the smaller representatives of the family dev, but is nonetheless a large dragonfly, which typically measures from 54 to 63 mm in length, and a wingspan of about 7.5 cm. The male has blue eyes, a green thorax with two diagonal black stripes, and a black abdomen decorated with blue markings. One pair of elongated blue marks is placed on the dorsal side of each abdominal segment. The exception is the first segment, on which there is only one centrally placed green dot. A long and narrow, brownish pterostigma is also characteristic of the early dragonflies. Its abdomen in the initial part is not narrowed, as is typical for most male representatives of the family.
The female is black and yellow. She also has on the dorsum of the first abdominal segment a single spot; on the others, her yellow spots are paired. The hairiness of the abdomen gives this species the impression of tuftiness; the female is somewhat hairier than the male.
The early dragonfly lives in standing and slow-flowing, sufficiently large bodies of water. It prefers waters with rich riparian vegetation, especially with extensive stands of reeds.
Adult individuals can begin flying even before April, after which we will encounter them patrolling in flight among tall vegetation up until the beginning of August. They mature early, as adults appear near water well before most other members of the genus dev.
The early dragonfly is listed on the Slovenian Red List of endangered dragonflies in the category vulnerable species (V).
