Quiet Times at Bouldnor Forest Ponds.

The ponds at Bouldnor today seemed quiet with not much dragonfly activity.This handsome male Emperor was the only highlight.

A Very Elegant Greek Dragonfly.

My wife is currently in the Greek Island of Thassos situated in the north of the Aegean Sea.She was lucky enough today to see this handsome dragonfly on the beach.It is a Bladetail, Lindenia tetraphylla  found in Central and South West Asia and the eastern Mediterranean. A description of this species is below.

It is the largest member of the Gomphidae family to be found in Europe. This elegant species gets its name from the four ‘blades’ located underneath the tip of the abdomen. The thorax and abdomen of the bladetail both have a sandy grey base colour, and the thorax is decorated with four curved black stripes which form two ring-like patterns at the front.

Heatwave Leads to More Dragonflies on the Wing.

The ongoing heatwave has produced several new dragonfly species  and today at Bouldnor Forest,Yarmouth I saw my first Common Darter of the year. The individuals pictured are the two immatures observed fluttering away from the pond margins.Also recorded were at least four Emperor ,all males together with four male Broad-bodied Chasers and a Hairy Dreagonfly.Along a nearby woodland track was a female Beautiful Demoiselle.

 

Stock Photo

First Adult Dragonfly this Season in my Garden.

Sightings of odonata in my garden this year have been few to date.However today in the bright and hot sunshine this female Broad-bodied Chaser spent sometime perched on several different types of suppport in the flower border.

Season Underway

Yesterday saw the first Large Red Damselfly emerge in my garden.The container on my patio produced this emergent pictured below and was closely followed by another.Meanwhile at my garden pond I saw a first Broad-bodied Chaser flutter away from the pond margin. 

Large Red Damselflies Take to the Air.

A morning visit to the old pond at Bouldnor Forest today was rewarded with at least 6 teneral Large Red Damselflies.All were observed fluttering away from the pond margins to the safety of the surrouding trees and bushes.

Southern Hawker Visits Garden Pond.

The female Southern Hawker is one of my favourite species and today I was treated to a prolonged observation of this female ovipositing into the mossy banks of my garden pond. There seemed to be a couple of spots that she favoured and repeatedly returned to them.

Golden-ringed Dragonfly Drops In.

 Good to see this female Golden-ringed Dragonfly at my garden pond today. She spent some time at the pond as well as around the garden enjoying the sunny and warm spots. It is not the first time that I have enjoyed the sight of this species in my garden,although the others were all males.

 

A Deceased Dragonfly

Sometimes  a dead dragonfly is discovered and this individual pictured below was found in a house at Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight a couple of days ago. With a bit of imagination  and hope is it a rare migrant or not? The only way to find the answer is to ask an expert and that is what I did.

There are certain differences in the 'large dragonfly' species seen in the UK. Such as wing veins,length of hindwing,and abdomen length. Two species were dismissed because of the  wing vein  pattern and final identity was established due to the measurement of the abdomen together with the hindwing length.

The  result was that this is a female Emperor Dragonfly Anax imperator.

Four-spotted Chaser Back Again.

The Four-spotted Chaser has never been a common sight on the Isle of Wight. Perhaps the only well known site for this species is Brading Marsh. However for the last two or threee years I have recorded this chaser at Bouldnor Forest ponds. Yet again a male was observed at the ponds yesterday having hold its own against several male Broad-bodied Chasers and a male Emperor Dragonfly.

A first of the season record was this female Emerald Damselfly,a regular at this site and at this time. Apart from the usual damselflies there was also a female Beautiful Demoiselle and a small number of teneral Common Darters.