Oops

Yesterday I confidently identified a Broad-bodied Chaser as a male but it seems that I inadvertently  gave it a sex change. When I posted the picture on the excellent Northants Dragonfly Group Facebook page the Northants recorder pointed out that my specimen was an old female. When females of this species mature they do show some blue colouration on the abdomen similar to that on a male but not to the same extent. Also the shape of the ovipositor should give the game away unless of course you're a bit of a relative newbie like me. There's always something new to learn in this game and I guess that's what keeps taking us out time and again into the field.