The raspberry-red dragonfly (Sympetrum fonscolombii) is a good flyer, which from its emergence areas already late in spring tends to migrate northwards into northern Europe and also to us. Adults are usually 33 to 40 mm long, and their wingspan is about 5.5 cm.
The slender hind end of the male is, as in most adult dragonflies of the male sex, red in color. The facial part is red in this species, and the red veins on the wings as well. For him the distinguishing features are the blue lower part of the eyes and a light pterostigma with a bold black edge. The legs of this species are black with a yellow longitudinal stripe on the femurs and tibiae, the base of the hind pair of wings is orange. When identifying, we must be careful, as the male of opoldanski škrlatca (Crocothemis erythraea) is very similar, but the scarlet has a much wider abdomen, and its legs are completely red, without any black coloration.
The raspberry-red dragonfly is a resident of standing waters. It particularly likes bodies of water that heat up strongly in summer, such as the shallow bays of larger lakes, shallow clay pits and quarries. It also likes the ground around the water to be dry and warm and only sparsely vegetated. The preference for warm water in this species is probably linked to the rapid development of the naiad, as it develops from egg to adult very quickly, already within the same season.
Adults can be observed flying from April to October. For the males of this species it is characteristic to perch briefly in exposed spots, then rise into the air and monitor their territory during prolonged flight.
Spring observations can largely be attributed to arrivals from the Mediterranean region, but in our area they have also confirmed overwintering of this species!
