The Dragonflies of Lichfield

Whilst the results of this survey are not large enough, or over a long enough period, to allow any conclusions to be made about the status of dragonfly populations in Lichfield, the survey does form a valuable base-line for future work in the District. It has also added important new sites to our existing knowledge of dragonflies in Staffordshire.

All Records in Lichfield

The above map includes a buffer around Lichfield District to pick up on records occurring just outside the district boundary

Key to symbols

This key is used for both the master map (above) and the subsequent species maps.

	New records for the 1km square during the Lichfield 2002-3 survey
	Recorded during the Lichfield survey, but also previously by other recorders
	Recorded only prior to the Lichfield survey, squares not revisited during this survey

Months Recorded

In this report no attempt has been made to describe the species, nor to discuss their habits or biology – these are better covered in the dragonfly books listed in the bibliography. Almost all the following information is gleaned from the data collected during the survey. However, it must be borne in mind that most of the records are from standing water bodies, so that by the nature of the survey, the majority of species appear to prefer ponds. This is not necessarily a true reflection on the species’ habits, but rather an artefact of the sampling technique.

Signs of breeding were only found for six species, Enallagma cyathigerum, Ischnura elegans, Aeshna juncea, A.cyanea, A.grandis and Sympetrum striolatum, although Sympetrum sanguineum was recorded in tandem (mating). However, because the survey excluded pond-dipping, records of young (nymphs) are absent.

Species Maps

For the sixteen mapped species found during the survey there is included:

• Scientific (Latin) and common (English) names
• A distribution map showing the 1km squares containing the species
• A short discussion of the results of the survey
• A phenology table showing the months in which the species was seen