DESCRIPTION: Wing length 6.25 - 8.25. A quite simple species to recognise with its brown thorax sporting two longitudinal dirty yellow to pale creams stripes, the flattish face, the waisted abdomen and the whitish 'hockey stick' markings. BEHAVIOUR: The rat-tailed larvae develop at the bases of emergent plants Bulrush may be especially important. Adults like to bask within low vegetation and feed on a variety of flowers including Buttercups, Hogweed and Bramble. They very rarely stray from breeding sites. DISTRIBUTION: Frequent but local throughout except the far north of Scotland. HABITAT: Found in lush vegetation at the margins of ponds, ditches and slow moving rivers. PERIOD: April to early October.