Dragons in your garden?

Like three tiny fighter planes, they cruised menacingly past, cagily eyeing each other from afar. Suddenly, they came together in a blur of wings and engaged in a furious catfight, ending with one tumbling unceremoniously into the water.

This is no tale of Battle of Britain gallantry in the skies above Europe. This was a battle for territorial supremacy at a pond near me. At war were a four-spotted chaser, a broad-bodied chaser and a hairy hawker.

Those brilliantly-named and colourful creatures are among several species of dragonflies and damselflies showcasing their flying skills all over the UK. It is now peak ‘flying time’ for them, so why not get out on a nice sunny day and enjoy them!

If you’re wondering what the difference is between a ‘dragon and a ‘damsel’, damselflies are smaller, thinner bodied and hold their wings over their backs when they're perched. The bigger, more active, thicker-bodied dragonflies hold their wings out to the sides when they are at rest.

You can see them on most rivers, pools, ponds and lakes, but did you know that you can also enjoy these fantastic insects in your garden? A pond is a real draw for these water-loving insects and it’s easy to make one in your garden!

Don’t worry if you haven’t got one - it’s not essential to have water in your garden attract them. Freshly emerged dragonflies and damselflies spend time away from water to let their new, flimsy wings develop in peace. They head for vegetation - a good reason to have patches of wildflowers and bushes in your garden - to mature and ‘harden off’. After a few days, they head back to water to find a mate and reproduce.

Dragonflies like migrant hawkers come to the skies above gardens to feast on smaller insects and common darters perch on your washing line and on garden canes. You might even get a visit from the mighty emperor! Large red, common blue and azure damselflies could also be coming to your garden this summer.

Have you seen any dragonflies and damselflies this year, or attracted them to your garden? Why not write a comment (you will need to register first - this is free - then log in). You can also be updated when something new is posted to this blog.