Peatland wildlife
Dragonflies
Dragonflies are well adapted to living in peatland habitats
because their life cycle consists of a long aquatic larval phase
followed by a short adult phase. The larval phase, which can
last for several years in some species, often goes unnoticed
as the larvae are well camouflaged among the vegetation in fen
and bog pools. Adult dragonflies generally only survive for
a few weeks but being brightly coloured makes them some of peatlands’
most conspicuous and attractive summer insects.
Of the 22 species of dragonfly resident in Northern Ireland,
15 are common to peatlands. Information on all species of dragonfly
on peatlands in Northern Ireland is given in the table below:
Click
on a tick or an entry in the list to view more information.
If you would like further information about other species please
visit The Dragonfly Ireland web site at www.habitas.org.uk/dragonfly
