Good weather in June means juicy new insects about. Black-tailed Skimmers have emerged from the Main Lake and are sunning themselves on the paths. When Dragonflies first emerge, they are pale and weak and need about 3 weeks of nice weather and munchy food to mature. In this state they are called ‘teneral’. Interestingly teneral males are coloured as females, and the wings are very reflective.
This photograph by Mark Walpole of a Black-tailed Skimmer shows a teneral female, very different to the powdery blue of the adult male.
Mark also took this photo of a Four-spotted Chaser. They emerged a few weeks ago, and are now fully mature and bight. On the hunt for flies, they can turn up anywhere, but watch for territorial males defending their patch at the Dragonfly Ponds.
I found this newly pupated Poplar Hawkmoth low down in the willow tunnel at the Wildlife Watchpoint entrance on Wednesday:
It has spent the winter pupating in the soil at the base of the caterpillar foodplant, which in this case were the willows.
And look a the stunning colours of this Small Elephant Hawkmoth caught in Ed’s light trap on Wednesday night:
Once it warmed up a bit It flew onto this Vipers Bugloss in the compound.
And here is a picture Ed took of his little mothy face:
It won’t be long now before those juiciest of insects, Emperor Dragonflies, are patrolling the Dragonfly Ponds.