Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum), is indeed one of our commonest dragonflies and can be found virtually anywhere. It is, therefore, the default species when encountering any darter and so it is a good idea to familiarise yourself with it before trying to tackle the scarcer species. Thankfully, the males have two distinct, greenish-yellow, diagonal stripes on the thorax, making identification realtively straightforward. Note also the thin yellow lines extending along the predominantly black legs.
Ruddy Darter (Sympetrum sanguineum) has, as its latin name implies a much deeper, blood-red abdomen, which is also more waisted, ie narrowing at the base, than Common Darter. Its thorax is plain brown, lacking the coloured stripes, and the legs are entirely black.
Red-veined Darter (Sympetrum fonscolombii) is a formerly Mediterranean species which has colonised Brussels within the past few years and is now just as common as Ruddy Darter. Males are very brightly coloured with a pale pterostigma, yellow patches at the base of the wings and the tell-tale red venation along the leading edge of the wings.
