The Flatford Wildlife Garden gets more than its share of colourful and interesting insects, and with a shady, overgrown ditch at the bottom of the slope, it’s no surprise that we regularly see dragonflies and damselflies hunting in the garden during warm weather. What is surprising is the abundance of an unusual and strikingly beautiful species of damselfly that seems to have found a stronghold in the garden; the Willow Emerald.
Snapped on the same day as when the Hummingbird Hawk-Moth paid a visit, this beautiful creature was sunning itself on tall-growing vegetation. Unlike other species of damselfly, the willow emerald holds its wings out at an angle to its body when at rest. Not only does this help to distinguish them from other species, but it also tends to make them a little more conspicuous. Willow Emeralds are not native to this country; in recent years they have begun to spread from Southern and Eastern Europe, and appear to be slowly colonising the East coast of England. Though reports are sparse, they have been spotted in many areas in East Anglia and seem to co-exist happily with our native species of damselflies.
Their preferred habitat is near still or slow moving watercourses, with plenty of shady cover in the form of over hanging trees such as willow and alder, a preference for which they are named. Both grow by the ditch at the bottom of the garden; in spring look out for odd galls growing on the branches of these trees. These are often the result of the eggs being laid directly into the crevices of the bark. Most dragonfly and damselfly species lay their eggs on submerged vegetation by the water’s edge, where the larva develop, only leaving the water once they are ready to emerge as adults. However, the larva of the willow emerald remains in the bark over winter, only dropping into the water the following spring. There they finish developing, and within in a couple of months will emerge in their adult form.
The majority of dragonfly and damselfly species live only a few weeks or even days in their adult stage, and while there are still willow emeralds to be seen in the garden at present, it will only be a couple of weeks before they are finished for the season. However, come next year, when the warm weather returns and the garden fills with colours once again, pull your attention away from the flowers and to the sky above, and you just may spot of one of these striking creatures.
Why not take advantage of the early autumn weather and visit us in the Flatford Wildlife Garden? We’re open 10.30am to 4.30pm in October, and during the half-term week will be hosting a range of children’s activities in the garden.