FOR AGES 3 YEARS TO 18 YEARS
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
The Norfolk Hawker, also known as the green eyed Hawker or by its scientific name Aeshna isosceles anaciaeschna isosceles is a small hawker dragonfly. It is one of the two brown hawker dragonflies found in Britain which falls in the class order Odonata. The Norfolk Hawker or Aeshna isosceles is widely distributed in lowland areas of southern and central Europe, south to North Africa, but in Britain, it has always been scarce and local species of dragonfly and is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act,1981. In Britain, it can be found found in the Norfolk Broads and northeast Suffolk. They can be found living in unpolluted fens, marshes, and ditches. It has a yellow triangular mark near the second abdominal segment of its body which helps with its identification. it is 2.6 in (67 mm) in length and its flight period is from May to August. They are best spotted in the months of June and July. It appears very similar to the damselflies.
The Norfolk hawker is a dragonfly.
The Norfolk hawker falls into the class of Arthropod. It further falls under the higher class order Odonata.
The Norfolk hawker is a rare species of dragonfly and the exact number of Norfolk hawker has not been recorded yet but these dragonflies are best spotted in June and July.
The Norfolk hawker is found in the Norfolk Broads and northeast Suffolk in the UK.
The Norfolk hawker dragonflies can be found in unpolluted fens, marshes (pond like waterbody), and ditches where the water soldier or other plants or vegetation is growing.
The Norfolk Hawker dragonflies live in a swarm (a large dense group) and are territorial in nature.
Like any other dragonfly, Norfolk hawker dragonflies survive for 7-56 days.
The process of breeding takes place on emergent vegetation like the water soldier or on unspoiled grazing marsh dyke systems with clean and non saline water. Males get involved in a dog fight to pick the right mating site to attract most females. Then the female lays its eggs which hatch in a period of a few days or weeks (the male stays on its wing, hovering over the marsh which looks similar to a pond while the female lays its eggs to protect it from other males). After hatching the babies come out as nymphs which stay underwater for two to four years where they act as aquatic predators and eat any smaller (sometimes bigger) organisms. They stay in the larval state for most of their life which for some can be two to three years. Then the mature dragonfly larvae emerge to the surface of the aquatic plants or vegetation at night. Early morning, the mature larvae shed its exoskeleton to grow wings and become a dragonfly and fly off to feed.
According to the IUCN, the Norfolk hawker falls under the category of Least Concern. Regardless of its status evaluated by the IUCN, it's a rare dragonfly in Britain due to its scarcity the conservation status given to it by the Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies (UK) is Endangered and is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981.
A Norfolk hawker is a dragonfly that has a brown body, green eyes, clear wings, and a very distinctive yellow triangular mark near the top of its abdomen it is 2.6 in (6.6 cm) in length. They resemble their closest cousins' damselflies. The waist segment of the male dragonfly's body is narrow in comparison to the female but it has brighter shoulder stripes in comparison to those of the female.
The scientific name of the Norfolk hawker dragonflies is Aeshna isosceles is short for Anaciaeschna isoceles. As nymphs live underwater, they will eat any organism they can and will also resort to cannabilism if they have to, eating other nymphs. Adults of this species refrain from staying on their wing and will fly around to guard their territory against other male adults. Males of dragonflies are extremely territorial in nature, they will fight wildly with other dragonflies of the same and different species to pick the best egg laying site to attract the most females. It also stays on its wing to hover around the marshes to protect its territory. The eating habits of an adult dragonfly remain the same as a larva, it can eat other dragonflies as well as damselflies. Also, dragonflies and damselflies are very similar in appearance. It is one of the two brown hawker dragonflies found in the UK. At its early stages of development, the nymph has to protect itself from larger predators or sometimes even larger nymphs. A dragonfly can stay on its wing and hover in the sky at the same position. The flight period of this species lasts from May to August. These dragonflies can be spotted from June to July. After the nymphs shed their skin early morning They wait for some time for their new body to harden in the sun and then they fly off to feed.
People are generally frightened of Insects and do not consider them cute because of the fear of being bit or stung. Although The Norfolk Hawker only bites on feeling threatened, it never breaks the barrier of the skin and is not dangerous at all. An adult dragonfly can be very colorful and sometimes frightening because of the sound of its wings.
The Norfolk Hawker dragonflies use their shocking blue, green, purple, and even bronze hues to send messages to other insects and are sometimes used to warn of predatory birds.
The Norfolk Hawker or known by its scientific name Aeshna isosceles is 2.6 in (6.6 cm) in length which is eight times smaller than a kagu.
When in flight, a Norfolk hawker can fly up to the speed of 22 mph (36 kph).
A Norfolk hawker dragonfly can weigh somewhere around 0.04 oz (1000 mg).
There are no specific names for the different sexes of the species.
The name of a baby Norfolk hawker is larvae or nymphs.
Dragonflies will any insect they can grab hold of, this includes flies, midges, mosquitoes, and damselflies, or any other insect usually smaller to them, but sometimes they even catch and eat insects bigger in size like butterflies.
No, a bite from a Norfolk Hawker or any other dragonfly cannot penetrate the human skin and it is not dangerous at all.
No, it would not make a good pet because is an endangered species that is protected under Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981.
The overall life span of a dragonfly from birth stretches for about four to five years.
No, the Norfolk hawker is found in the Norfolk Broads as well as northeast Suffolk and is a local to The UK.
Yes, the Norfolk hawker is a rare dragonfly and is declared an Endangered species in the UK. It is only found (distribution) in marshes and ditches of Broads National Park, Norfolk, and northeast Suffolk. It is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these Mormon cricket facts, or mole cricket facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Norfolk hawker coloring pages.
Read The Disclaimer
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
Kidadl is independent and to make our service free to you the reader we are supported by advertising.
We hope you love our recommendations for products and services! What we suggest is selected independently by the Kidadl team. If you purchase using the buy now button we may earn a small commission. This does not influence our choices. Please note: prices are correct and items are available at the time the article was published.
Kidadl has a number of affiliate partners that we work with including Amazon. Please note that Kidadl is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.
We also link to other websites, but are not responsible for their content.
Was this article helpful?
We’ll send you tons of inspiration to help you find a hidden gem in your local area or plan a big day out.
Check your inbox for your latest news from us. You have subscribed to:
Remember that you can always manage your preferences or unsubscribe through the link at the foot of each newsletter.