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Dragonflies & Damselflies Page 10
Image Taken on 10 May 2011
at 15:07 Image of day on 09 Jun 2011
Our first Dragonfly (as opposed to Damselfly) sighting this year is a Broad-Bodied
Chaser female (actually seen briefly on 9 May 2011).
We think this is the first sighting in Buckinghamshire this year
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20110609_db1_20110510_1507_010 broad-bodied chaser dragonfly female hanging from blackthorn (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 02 Jun 2024
at 18:09 Image of day on 01 Jul 2024
So far all the Broad-bodied Chaser Dragonflies have been spotted
well away from water - perfectly normal.
Here this female spends several minutes hunting from this broken off stem
sticking out of the Duck Pond's water.
Read this bottom then top just an eighth of a second apart.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20240701_r70_20240602_1809_212+213 broad-bodied chaser dragonfly female hunting from stem in duck pond 04+05 of 13 (montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 02 Jun 2024
at 18:11 Image of day on 01 Jul 2024
Another landing montaged into a single image, in reality taking about half a second.
We believe that the Dragonfly was hunting the cloud of midges low over the water.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20240701_r70_20240602_1811_238-241 broad-bodied chaser dragonfly female hunting from stem in duck pond 06- 09 of 13 (imp montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 10 Jul 2018
at 12:33 Image of day on 27 Aug 2018
Here we have a female Broad-bodied Chaser Dragonfly. The male of the same
species has the back of the body covered in a powdery blue pruinescence.
.jpg)
Ref: 20180827_d72_20180710_1233_010 broad-bodied chaser dragonfly female perched on leaf(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 10 May 2011
at 15:01 Image of day on 09 Jun 2011
A few minutes earlier 'grabbing' an image before going back to the
house for the 'macro' kit, we caught this view of the abdomen's translucence.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20110609_df1_20110510_1501_056 broad-bodied chaser dragonfly female underside backlit showing abdominal translucence (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 18 May 2025
at 16:28 Image of day on 04 Jul 2025
Our first sighting of a Broad-bodied Chaser Dragonfly this year - a male.
The matte blue back is actually a blue powder called Pruinescence that rubs
off very easily. The blue is also very bright in UV light.
The female does not have this characteristic blue, showing an orangey body.
To see the UV images see
https://www.moorhen.me.uk/uv/dragonflies_&_damselflies_03.htm
with the female on the PREVIOUS page.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20250704_r70_20250518_1628_195 broad-bodied chaser dragonfly male (1st of 2025)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 02 Jun 2024
at 18:02 Image of day on 01 Jul 2024
This male Broad-bodied Chaser Dragonfly is about the same size as the female (wingspan about 70mm)
but his abdominal segments are coated with this beautiful blue
pruinescence.
We know from experience from handling these insects that the blue power is rather
easy to rub off, and in fact the males gradually get a bit tatty as they brush the blue
powder on vegetation. The pruinescence reflects Ultra-violet (UV) light very well for some reason.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20240701_r70_20240602_1802_160 broad-bodied chaser dragonfly male 5 of 6 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 23 Jun 2008
at 15:51 Image of day on 06 Jul 2008
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20080706_dc1_20080623_1551_049 broad-bodied chaser dragonfly male head detail (orig)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 04 Jun 2010
at 12:33 Image of day on 12 Jul 2010
This beautiful Broad-Bodied Chaser Dragonfly was using the withering
flag iris as a vantage point - it has no interest in pollen or nectar.
Shortly afterward an orange female flew by and he flew off after her.
The blue back (on the males only) is powdery and bright in Ultraviolet.
If you are interested see
Dragonflies in Ultraviolet
from part way down & the top item on the page that follows. They are NOT dead - just cold,
and like all the others flew off fine after warming in the sunshine.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20100712_df1_20100604_1233_015 broad-bodied chaser dragonfly male on withering flag iris flower (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 04 Jun 2015
at 13:58 Image of day on 09 Aug 2015
A first for us here is seeing both male and female Broad Bodies Chaser
Dragonflies at the same time on one pond. This is the male which you
can see he has already damaged a wing. Our experience is that
this sort of damage is most usually from being caught by brambles
or wild rose thorns. Dragonflies seem to be able to fly fine with
half their wing surface missing from encounters with thorns and
bird beaks.
He is perched on a Yellow Flag Iris flower but he is not
interested in nectar - he is a hunter using the flower only as
the highest nearby perch.
The blue back is a powder that gradually gets rubbed off. It is
very bright in UV light - see our UV section on the web site if interested.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20150809_df3_20150604_1358_318 broad-bodied chaser dragonfly male on yellow flag iris flower (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 23 Jun 2008
at 13:55 Image of day on 06 Jul 2008
This is the first dragonfly we have seen here, with beautiful powder
blue (and powdery texture) abdomen. It has a wingspan of about 7cm.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20080706_dc1_20080623_1355_016 broad-bodied chaser dragonfly male perched on willow stick (web crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 15 Jun 2022
at 17:44 Image of day on 02 Aug 2022
A female Broad-bodied Chaser Dragonfly beautifully back-lit while
perched facing the camera on what looks like one of last years Teasel stems.
 stem(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20220802_df3_20220615_1744_544 broad-bodied chaser female dragonfly facing camera backlit on desiccated teasel (q) stem(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 17 Jul 2020
at 10:49 Image of day on 28 Aug 2020
We think we have seen one of these Brown Hawker Dragonflies several times,
but not sure enough to report. So here is our first confirmed sighting this year.
The cropped 'Anal Appendage' is also missing on the original grabbed shot.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20200828_df3_20200717_1049_161 brown hawker dragonfly (1st of 2020)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 19 Jul 2024
at 12:55 Image of day on 26 Aug 2024
The first appearance of a Hawker Dragonfly this year.
Our initial ID 'by eye' was for a Brown Hawker Dragonfly, and a few hours
later our waiting about was rewarded by this individual flying along
the top edge of the house walls. This is an accurate montage at about 8 fps.
The insert is a magnified version of the top right image where the diagnostic
brown wings are clearly visible.
Don't worry about the wonky looking roof - the camera tilting while panning and
other effects made exact alignment difficult.
 flying along roof edge + insert (approx montage @8fps)(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20240826_r70_20240719_1255_125-1256_130 brown hawker dragonfly (1st of 2024) flying along roof edge + insert (approx montage @8fps)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 25 Jun 2023
at 16:13 Image of day on 23 Aug 2023
Brown Hawker Dragonflies really live up to their name - brown bodies and brown wings
really do look 'brown' in flight even at a glimpse.
(r+mb id@432).jpg)
Ref: 20230823_d71_20230625_1613_181 brown hawker dragonfly female - 1st of 2023 (id only)(r+mb id@432).jpg
Image Taken on 26 Jul 2012
at 12:43 Image of day on 01 Sep 2012
A few days later we caught this female Brown Hawker Dragonfly, but events transpired
that prevented us photographing her in flight. She needed a chance to warm herself up
for flight, so we hung her in the hedge. The blurred tips of the wings is her vibrating
them to raise the temperature of her flight muscles
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20120901_p10_20120726_1243_888 brown hawker dragonfly female hanging in hedge (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 16 Jul 2009
at 11:03 Image of day on 21 Aug 2009
After the indoor shoot we took her out for release and took some more
studies in sunlight until she flew off. This detail is looking
from the top of the head (eyes at the bottom) down the face at the
top.
We estimated the number of eye segments at 30,000, couldn't
believe it, but then found a reference to an exact count for the
'American Common Green Darner' at 28,672 in an excellent UK book
by Steve Brooks ISBN 0-953-13990-5 page 8.
The cells do not form images (unlike the ridiculous Hollywood and
nature documentary illustrations) so that IS the resolution -
about 10% of a 'VGA' (640x480) colour monitor but of course
wonderfully sensitive to movement, colour vision including UV,
and very robust. According to the book, 3 additional eyes in a
triangle at the top are very sensitive to light and are directly
used for orientation in flight.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20090821_db1_20090716_1103_005 brown hawker dragonfly female head detail (web crop 2)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 30 Jun 2018
at 13:52 Image of day on 22 Aug 2018
A female Brown Hawker Dragonfly flying above.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20180822_df3_20180630_1352_522 brown hawker dragonfly female in flight (1st of 2018)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 28 Jul 2011
at 18:06 Image of day on 09 Sep 2011
This Brown Hawker Dragonfly female was having great time feeding on midges -
you can see one here hanging out of the bottom of her mouth.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20110909_df1_20110728_1806_086 brown hawker dragonfly female in flight with midge in mouth (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 16 Jul 2009
at 11:01 Image of day on 21 Aug 2009
This is a Brown Hawker dragonfly female flapping her wings as
she clambered up a hawthorn twig during a photo-shoot to
photograph her in flight (but the flight images didn't
capture the 3-D feel).
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20090821_da1_20090716_1101_128 ft1 brown hawker dragonfly female on hawthorn twig (web crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
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