The four-spotted dragonfly (Libellula quadrimaculata) is one of the three representatives of the Libellula genus in our country. Adults typically measure from 40 to 48 mm in length, and their wingspan is about 7 cm.
The male and female of the four-spotted dragonfly look quite similar. Their body pattern is the same, but the male is of rather more subdued colors. The female's body is orange-brown, the male olive-brown. The end of the lance-shaped abdomen, from the 6th to the 10th segment, is black in both sexes. Along the sides of the abdomen there are longitudinal yellow stripes.
For the four-spotted dragonfly it is characteristic that only the base of the hind wings is dark; the base of the forewings is always transparent. In addition to the almost black pterostigma, this species also has a dark mark in the middle of the upper edge of the wings!
The four-spotted dragonfly is a resident of standing waters, it tends to avoid running water. It prefers somewhat stagnant water bodies with abundant shoreline vegetation.
Adults have been flying since the end of April and only roost by the middle of September. Males choose a tall stalk or a dead branch by the water, on which they perch and watch their territory. From there they spring at every intruder they notice and immediately drive it away.
