VAGRANT EMPEROR
This is a large dragonfly with brown eyes, thorax and abdomen. The second segment of the abdomen is bright blue in males and dull blue in females. A distinct black line runs dorsally along the abdomen to the end segments, which are yellow with black markings. The wings are transparent with a slight yellow patch and light brown pterostigmata (a large cell on the leading edge of the wing which is often coloured).
Vagrant emperors migrate from Africa and Asia using the monsoon winds and storms, which means it can arrive at any time of year and often in large numbers. Its natural habitats are shrub dominated wetlands, swamps, freshwater lakes and springs. They breed in shallow tanks and marshes. I was panting and sweating as I worked my way up into the hills on my early morning power walk. I came across this female resting on the road. I nearly passed it by, thinking it was a female of a species I had already photographed, but I stopped and took a few snaps on my phone, hence the wobbly photos.
