Small Red-eyes at Stag Lane Pond.

Stag Lane pond is situated near to Newport on the Isle of Wight and close to the Dodnor Creek Nature Reserve bordering the River Medina.The pond is a renowned fishing lake and also a place for many species of odonata.At this time of year Small Red-eyed Damselflies abound and today under cloudy skies but high temperatures of over 30 degrees celcius several males were resting on pondside foliage.

Blue-tailed Damselflies Out in Force.

The recent fine and mainly dry weather has given way to an unsettled period of rain and cloud.So yesterday a visit to a large body of water known as Dodnor Nature Reserve adjacent to the coast was marred by a brisk wind and an overcast sky.However the lakeside reeds seemed to be crowded with what must be our most common damselfly,the Blue-tailed Damselfly Ischnura elegans.The female has five colour forms and all were on show.Perhaps the two most colourful  are rufescens (shown below devouring a moth) and violacea,also pictured below,with violet sides to the thorax.