Isle of Wight Dragons: Return of the Emperor.

Saturday, 17 June 2023

Return of the Emperor.

With renewed activity at the garden pond this season following a clog clearout,it was encouraging to see a female Emperor Dragonfly taking plenty of time to ovipost into the Frogbit.

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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.