Brown hawker by Pat Adams 1/5
Male brown hawker by Tabs Taberham 2/5
Brown hawker ovipositing by Pat Adams 3/5
Female brown hawker ovipositing by Peter Dent 4/5
Brown hawker on a reed by Elizabeth Dack 5/5

Brown Hawker Aeshna grandis

A large, distinctive, brown-winged hawker dragonfly commonly found in lowland Britain in late Summer. It breeds in virtually any slow moving or still water like ponds, lakes, gravel pits, marshes and reedbeds. The dragonfly can often be found some distance away from water in open grassland or along sheltered hedgerows. It has a distinctive flight with long glides and bursts of rapid wingbeats.

Conservation status

This species has probably increased in numbers due to the creation of new gravel pits in recent years. Migrants from continental Europe increase the numbers in some years.

Related questions & advice

What is the difference between dragonflies and damselflies?

Details

Did you know? The female uses her ovipositor to insert her eggs into either living or dead plant material at or below the surface of the water. The eggs hatch the following year and the larvae then spend 2-4 years on the vegetation at the bottom of the water body feeding mostly on midge larvae. The dragonflies generally emerge at night and take their first flight before dawn. They are strongly territorial and will patrol their territory flying backwards and forwards vigorously defending it from intruders.
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