My count of the dragonfly and damselfly species seen on the reserve in 2013 has now reached nine. There were two new species out today - the emerald dragonfly and the common darter. I only saw the females of these species, so it seems that the males are being polite and letting the females emerge first! Last week I saw a common hawker emerging three days in a row, but I haven't seen anything of them since. I hope they are safely maturing in vegetation somewhere and not been breakfast for the birds.
Female common darter
Female emerald damselfly. These are my favourite as I think the females are just as beautiful as the males.
The good weather seems to have brought out the common blue damselflies and they can be seen along the edges of the main paths and tracks as well as round the ponds. Elsewhere the water on the smaller ponds is quite low, but they are still teeming with life. The chicks on the reserve are growing up quickly and being taught to fend for themselves. Check out the photo gallery for recent sightings of the wild life on the reserve.
Common hawker dragonfly in the last stages of emerging. Its wings are still folded, and once they spring open the dragonfly will not be able to fold them again.