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Message: <blockquote data-quote="SteveClifton" data-source="post: 1274211" data-attributes="member: 48420">I used to really struggle with Ruddy too, especially as the white(ish) leg markings of Common aren't always easy to see, and Ruddy are less common in the north where I live. The pinched in waste of Ruddy is also quite subjective and this specimen could be described as having one.    However, now that I've seen a few Ruddys (and lots of Commons) I would say this is a Common Darter. There is something about the length and shape of the abdomen of the two in relation to the total body length (shorter in Ruddy) which creates a quite different impression (yet difficult to explain if you know what I mean, you could say they have a different jizz?).Ruddy also usually show a tiny amount of yellow at the base of the wings not present in your dragonfly, but the real clincher is the black line that runs across the top and down the sides of the frons (front section of face) in Ruddy. Unfortunately this is not possible to see in your pictures because of the viewing angle, but if you have any others...worth checking for.Hope this helpsSteve</blockquote>