Southern Hawker
Aeshna cyanea

One of the last hawkers to be seen in the New Forest, with the greatest prevalence in early September. Males usually patrol a stretch of water or bog at a low height (often 1 foot above the waters surface). Males will perch periodically, and are often quite approachable by the photographer, where they often provide excellent 'isolated' photo opportunities.

Females will regularly settle to lay eggs (ovipositing). Curiously, the females seem to lay eggs in dirt and rotten wood on the periphery of a pond and not directly into pond foliage. Egg laying occurs usually under the shelter of bank vegetation away from predators. Sometimes the sound of rustling vegetation can give a clue to the location of an ovipositing female.

Southern Hawkers can be found late in the season, often ‘hawking’ in the late afternoon sun in close proximity to woodland ponds.

   
locations media gallery

Very common in wooded areas toward the end of the season. Dunyeats Pond (Poole), Ramsdown Forest and Troublefield are all good spots to investigate.

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seasonal appearance distinguishing features
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From mid July to early October
Males are a vivid green colour, with the last two segments of the abdomen changing to a blue colour. The males also have a slightly thinner waistline than their female counterparts. Females are largely green in colour (see photographs) with a slightly broader build. The prominent triangle on the second segment of the abdomen is similar to that of the Migrant Hawker, yet more greenish in tint.