See below for finders’ accounts of the first records of dragonfly species to have been found in Monmouthshire, and other rarities.

A Yellow-winged Darter at Goldcliff in 1995, the first county record, John Martin

Red-veined Darters at Goldcliff in 2000, the first county record, Adam Rowlands

Red-veined Darters at Goldcliff in 2002, Kevin Dupé

A Lesser Emperor at Lamby Lake in 2006, the first county record, Andy Karran

A Vagrant Emperor in Newport in 2013, the first county record, Keith Cox

Small Red-eyed Damselflies at Uskmouth in 2017, the second county record, Tara Okon

Lesser Emperors at Ynys-y-Fro reservoirs in 2018 and 2022, the second and third county records, Darryl Spittle

A Southern Migrant Hawker at Llandegfedd Reservoir in 2019, the first county record, Gavin Vella

A Southern Migrant Hawker at Goldcliff in 2019, the second county record, Wendy & Pete Taylor and Steve Davies

A Vagrant Emperor on the Gwent Levels in 2019, the second county record, Kevin Dupé

A Vagrant Emperor at Aberbeeg in 2020, the third county record, Simon Bazeley

A Common Clubtail in Govilon in 2023, the first for the Usk valley, Alan Underwood

Lesser Emperors at Wentwood reservoir in July 2023: the first breeding records for the county, Steve Preddy

Southern Migrant Hawkers at Goldcliff and Uskmouth in August 2023: the third and fourth county records, Phil James and Tom Chinnick

An account of one further dragonfly, long thought to have been seen within Monmouthshire, but after further investigation revealed to have been seen only in Breconshire (and so, sadly, not on the Monmouthshire list) can be read here:

A Banded Darter near Trefil in south Wales in 1995, the first British record, Ian D. Smith

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