L. sponsa is generally considered to overwinter solely in diapause in the egg stage; the eggs hatch in the spring and larvae complete development in two to three months (B.S. CORBET. C. LONGFIELD & N.W. MOORE. 1960. Dragonflies, Collins, London; — J. B1CKUB, D.J. THOMBSON & J.H. LAWTON. 1984. Odonatologica 13: 451-459). However, this note reports a case of L. sponsa larvae apparently overwintering. On 17 March 1986, during routine sampling of a large, acid pond on a lowland heath {Skipwith Common, N. Yorks; Nat. Grid reference SE 667 376) two final instar larvae were caught, one male and one female. The head widths of the larvae were 3.81 mm and 3.93 mm for male and female respectively, which correspond closely with those recorded for final instar larvae from the three populations studied by PICKUP et al., (1984).