Keeled Skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens)Slide Show

This is another of the United Kingdoms blue bodied Dragonflies; however this active skimmer is somewhat smaller in size than the other three.

Although appearing at the same sites as the Broad Bodied Chaser and the Black Tailed Skimmer, it is very readily identifiable. The Keeled Skimmer has light antehumeral stripes and an all blue abdomen. The Black Tailed variety lacks the stripes and has black tail segments on its abdomen. The Broad Bodied Chaser has a wider abdomen.

The female is straw coloured, particularly when immature. They will dull with age and become quite dark. Immature males are also straw coloured but exhibit extensive black markings on the abdomen.

This small skimmer prefers boggy peaty areas and can be seen on streams, ditches seepages and pools. It can be seen on the wing from early June, well into August and occasionally into early September.

The Keeled Skimmer is widely distributed across the United Kingdom but the sites at which it can be located are very fragmented; however once located they can be found in relatively large numbers.