Our earliest emerging species 
				  is a large (36mm) and active red damselfly with black legs and a bronze-black top to the thorax which has broad red or yellow stripes. 
				   Males patrol short sections of the water close to shore 
                   
                  The female exists in several colour forms varying in the amount of red
                  and black on the abdomen from nearly all black in f. melanotum to mainly
                  red in f. fulvipes. 
                   |