Norsey Wood – Dragonfly & Damselfly Systematic List - Listed Alphabetically. Order Odonata Sub-order Dragonflies Anisoptera Damselflies Zygoptera Status:- CB = Common & assumed Breeding U = Uncommon RV = Rare Visitor Abundance:- SN = Significant Numbers PSN = Present in Small Numbers FR = Few Records British (English) Status Abundance Main Flight Scientific Name Common Name Period Dragonflies Black-tailed Skimmer RV FR May-Aug Orthetrum cancellatum Broad-bodied Chaser U FR May-July Libellula depressa Brown Hawker CB PSN July-mid/Sept Aeshna grandis Common Darter CB PSN July-Sept Sympetrum striolatum Emperor Dragonfly U PSN June-Aug Anax imperator Four-spotted Chaser * * * Libellula quadrimaculata Hairy Dragonfly RV FW May-June Brachytron pratense Migrant Hawker CB SN Aug-Oct Aeshna mixta Ruddy Darter U PSN July-Sept Sympetrum sanguineum Southern Hawker U PSN July-Sept Aeshna cyanea Damselflies Azure Damselfly CB PSN May-July Coenagrion puella Banded Demoiselle RV FR July-mid/ AugCalopteryx splendens Blue-tailed Damselfly U FR Mid/May-Aug Ischnura elegans Common Blue Damselfly RV FR Mid/May-mid/Sept Enallagma cyathigerum Large Red Damselfly CB PSN May-mid/Aug Pyrrhosoma nymphula Scarce Emerald Damselfly RV FR June-Aug Lestes dryas * NB It is surprising that the fairly common and widely wandering Four-spotted Chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata) has not been recorded in or by the Wood. One to look out for! The rare damselfly species would have arrived windborne. A total number of 15 dragonfly and damselfly species have been recorded for the Wood. Latin names explained The local name of a particular animal or plant species spoken in different countries can cause great confusion in translation. So in the 18th century, an inspired Swedish zoologist and botanist called Carl Linnaeus, came up with a system of a twin Latin name for every different lifeform that could be understood internationally. That scientific approach has been used ever since (called Binomial Nomenclature!). Since those early days, modern scientific studies using DNA samples have refined how the natural world is classified but we still use the same principle of naming a particular species as Linnaeus invented. J.H.Smart March 2018 – Data supplied from the Norsey Wood central records. Thanks to Ken & Ann Richmond for proof reading and suggesting improvements. .