The smallest dragonfly in Japan, the Hacho Dragonfly, a registered natural monument of Kyoto Prefecture, has been spotted in the wetlands of the Kyoto Prefectural Tango Sea and Star Viewing Hill Park in Satonami, Miyazu City, again this year. According to the park, the first sighting was earlier than usual, and the best time to see it is now.
The Hacho Dragonfly is about 2 cm long, the size of a 1 yen coin. Males are bright red, while females are yellowish brown with yellow and black stripes. It is designated as a near-threatened species in the prefecture's Red Data Book. The park has prepared a wetland of about 100 square meters in the Children's Forest within the park, where Hacho Dragonfly can easily live, and has been conducting a survey of its population every year since 2018.
This year, the first sighting was on April 27, about nine days earlier than last year, and there are said to be a lot more of them. In the wetlands, you can see red and yellow dragonflies flying around and resting their wings on the grass.
The best time to see them is until early August. Admission is free.
