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If you like dragonflies, and want to see something a bit exotic, try Sardinia. The second largest island in the Mediterranean, Sardinia has a wide range of habitats which are home to a surprisingly varied plant and animal life – and, like most islands, it has a few surprises up its sleeve!
Copper Demoiselles by Ann Miles
The island has about 35 species of dragonfly, most of which are not found in Britain, including Green Hooktail, Bladetail and Long Skimmer. Sardinia’s numerous secluded inlets, marshes and lakes are the perfect place for beginners and more experienced ‘dragonfly-hunters’ to search for some of the exotic species found on the island – many African species are found here due to its proximity to the continent, so there are a lot of species which have flown over.
Special dragonflies to look out for include Lesser Emperors, Long Skimmers and Island Bluetails, while on the Isola dell’Asinara there’s a population of the rare Dark Spreadwing.
15 species can be seen at the Lago Baratz, Sardinia’s only natural freshwater lake and at Bosa the streams are awash with Copper Demoiselles, a southern European species which is particularly beautiful, their metallic red colouring showing up superbly as they line up on vegetation along streams.
Banded Groundlings are another stunning species for beginner and expert alike to look out for – as well as Sardinia, they are only found in Andalucia and Sicily in Europe, and the species’ stronghold is in Africa. They have a rather unique tendency to fly towards people rather than away, and buzz around your ankles! No one’s quite sure why they do this, but suggestions are that they confuse our legs with those of cattle, to which they are attracted.
The Orange – winged Dropwing is another of the exciting African species which has recently been seen on the island, though whether this was a migrant or represents the beginnings of a colony on Sardinia is yet to be determined.
For more information on our 'Sardinia's Dragonflies' tour, please click here.