Whereas in the UK it is Aeshna isoceles (Green-eyed Hawker/Norfolk Hawker) which is associated with Water-soldier, in mainland Europe it is this species, Aeshna viridis (Green Hawker), that is tightly bound to Water-soldier and A. isoceles is not. Why this should be is, to me, a mystery.
I have met this species once only on a trip to the Netherlands in 2022. I never saw one settled and with backgrounds mostly confused by reeds in the Weerribben-Wieden NP, this appalling distant flight shot is all that I could manage. It serves as a record … just.
| male in flight |
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