At Bouldnor Forest Yarmouth today there were at least three male Hairy Dragonflies constantly patrolling several of the six small ponds.In fact it could have been as many as five males as three of the ponds were occupied by male Broad-bodied Chasers who quickly shooed away their smaller rivals. It is the first time that I have seen Hairy Dragonflies at this site and also good to see them in such numbers.
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Only one of the three 'emerald' species that breed in the UK are found here. The Downy Emerald, Cordulia aenea is on the wing in May and is normally encountered at woodland ponds. That is the male in particular, as they endlessly it seems, patrol the pond close to the bank. The best view is usually fleeting as the males will occasionally hover for a few seconds before continuing their flight. If one is lucky a glimpse of a female can be seen as she deposits her eggs in a sheltered position of a shallow spot, maybe amongst reeds near to the pond edge.
The Hairy Dragonfly is the first hawker of the year, emerging in May. It is aptly described as a small darkish 'mosaic hawker' with a hairy thorax. Mature males like to patrol at low level along well vegetated ditches and ponds. The female is rather secretive and only visits water to find a mate or lay eggs.
The Southern Hawker is common on the Isle of Wight and immatures can be seen in June. It is a regular visitor to my garden pond with females ovipositing into pond side moss and reeds. In fact close observation of an egg-laying female can mean that she could attempt to lay her eggs on your trouser leg or even on your camera. The mature male is somewhat gaudy although the adult female is resplendent in chocolate-brown and green markings.
