The situation when you enter the forest and nature suddenly surprises you appears very often, most often when you do not have photographic equipment with you, but if you have, you are not prepared for an interesting situation. This time it was different.

The Polish name of this insect is the forest greenhouse, and although the species is rare, it appears in this temperature period, i.e. at the turn of spring and summer, specifically from mid-May to the end of August.

It appears in regions with clean, fast-flowing submontane forest streams, and in my case it appears in the Kraków-Częstochowa Jura, whose climate is very regional and there are species of plants and animals seen only in the mountains. The insect loves small, narrow mid-forest and mid-meadow rivers in the lowlands.

Characteristic amazing eyes

In mature Cordulegasters boltonni eyes have a beautiful green color, glossy and mesmerizing at the same time. They meet at one point in the center of the head.

The occipital triangle is yellow and the torso is black yellow. The abdomen, on the other hand, is black with even yellow spots in the center of the tergites and much smaller ones at the rear edges of the tergites.

The body length of this insect reaches up to 90 mm in the case of females, and the wingspan is also impressive, often over 100 mm.

It mainly feeds on invertebrates and is most often found in western and southern Europe, usually up to 600 m above sea level. It is a protected species in my country and is listed in the Red Book of animals with a high risk of extinction.