About Aeshna mixta Latreille, 1805
Identification: Aeshna mixta is a small aeshnid dragonfly that appears dark when in flight. It looks similar to other aeshnid dragonflies, but can be definitively identified by a distinctive "golf-tee" shaped mark on the second segment of its abdomen (S2). In flight, it resembles a small Emperor dragonfly, with a blue abdomen that curves down when viewed from the side. The main challenge for field identification is telling A. mixta apart from A. affinis in areas where both species fly. The markings on the side of the thorax differ between the two species. In A. affinis, the sides of the thorax are greenish yellow, with fine black lines running along the sutures. In A. mixta, the side of the thorax is a similar base color, but the yellow areas are divided by dark brown regions, giving the thorax an appearance of two broad yellow stripes. Distribution and habitat: A. mixta occurs across central and southern Europe, north Africa, the Middle East, and extends through Asia to China and Japan. As a migratory species, it can be found outside its regular range, and has been spreading northward in recent decades. For example, this dragonfly was rare in the United Kingdom until the 1940s, when large numbers started migrating there from continental Europe. It continues this migration pattern, and is now a resident breeding species throughout England and Wales. It arrived on the Isle of Man in 1998, and reached Ireland in 2000. It breeds in lakes and ponds, and can tolerate brackish water. It can also be found far from water, hunting on the wing high among trees and bushes, but often rests low on vegetation. One specimen was found in early August 2011 next to a riparian park in Calgary, Alberta. Another specimen was recorded on September 3, 2015 in Fort Collins, Colorado, flying over a backyard trampoline, which the description suggests the dragonfly probably mistook for a small dark pond.
