In the world of the damselfly, scorching Saturday was a busy one in my garden. I couldn’t help but keep popping back to the pond to watch the events unfold.
There was no action until about 10 o’clock, as the sun swings round and floods the pond with light. As if from nowhere, the mature adult male damselflies of two species arrived at the pond – Large Red, and Azure. They took up station on the flat pads of Marsh Marigold leaves, and would then foray out into the flower beds before returning and sparring with partners.
At the same time, new Blue-tailed Damselflies were emerging from the pond. The larvae would haul themselves from the water that has been their home for a year, crawl up vertical stems, and hatch as pale, colourless young adults, called tenerals.
By midday, the teneral Blue-tails, now dry, were taking to the air, all gossamer winged, and heading away from the pond, where they will spend several days feeding and gaining colour. At the same time, mature adult female Azure and Large Reds were being located by the males, presumably as they flew back in looking for a mate. Lucky males would grab them, cling onto them by the back of the neck, and bend into the mating wheel position (left).
By afternoon, the mated pairs were down on the pond surface, the females egg laying.
But in one of nature’s cruel twists, one Blue-tailed had got its body caught up in one of its wings as it emerged (right). It knew it ought to be flying free of the pond, and it kept trying to flutter its wings, but – a damsel in distress – it was to no avail. After a year waiting for this moment, it had all gone fatally wrong.
So there it was life, love and death, all in the 3.15x1.35m that is my garden pond. I don’t know about you, but I can’t help but be captivated. And, as requested, more on ponds in my blog entry this coming Friday...
Hi Analin
So pleased you like the book! Leave a little bit to read for those long winter nights. And remember that all the comments you're posting about your experiences in your garden are going into my mental bank ready for the second edition ;-) Adrian
We have three small ponds in our garden and if my other half had his way the entire garden would become a large pond! We have all the usual suspects in ours, tadpoles, frogs, damselflies as well as other numerous beasties and the plants around them would put any wildlife reserve to shame. I might add we don't have a big garden so it's all on a small scale but none the less interesting for that.
I recently mentioned to my other half that your new book would make a nice birthday present for me and lo and behold he ordered it straight away. Neither of us have been able to put it down since! All your hard work has been worth it. It's a beautiful book jammed packed with useful information. Trouble is, we might be doing more reading than gardening at the moment!