A female Aeshna cyanea, having been intercepted in mid-air by a male A. mixta attempting to mate, was observed to crash down together with the attacker to the ground where both remained motionless close to each other. After a short while the insects flew up simultaneously and the same behavioural sequence recurred. Following a short fight involving biting the female escaped and flew off. This is the first reported interspecific ‘drop and stop’ behaviour in anisopterans away from water.