Isle of Wight Dragons: Back to Nature.

Saturday, 16 May 2020

Back to Nature.

After a seven week lockdown in England it was good to get out into the countryside for the second time this week.At Shalfleet the Beautiful Demoiselles are on the wing and along the short stretch of wooded stream away from the village I counted 17 males and 10 females.Six were adult males and it was good to see some of them 'dancing' in aerial combat over a sunny spot.

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Golden-ringed Dragonfly

This is our largest UK dragonfly and seems to be widespread on the Isle of Wight.It is readily found along suitable streams and small rivers.

The male has a swollen abdomen at the tip while the female can be identified by a long and pointed ovipositor which is used to jab repeatedly down into the bed of shallow water to lay its eggs.

The larval stage can last up to five years as the larvae will spend their time buried at the bottom of the watercourse,with eyes only protruding,waiting to grab passing prey.