Habitat: Streams, rivers, canals and larger sandy pools.

Appearance: Large parts of Western, Central and Eastern Europe. It is absent from the Iberian Peninsula. Common in Belgium and fairly common in the Netherlands.

Flying season: June to August.

Characteristics: Length 35–37 mm, wingspan 45 mm.

Life cycle: Egg-laying takes place in tandem. The females lay their eggs in plants, preferably in the flower stalks of the yellow water lily (Nuphar lutea), whilst the male stands rigidly on top of the female. The larvae live in the mud. They overwinter in the final or penultimate instar and emerge the following year.