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Dragonflies & Damselflies Page 11
Image Taken on 18 Jul 2014
at 12:34 Image of day on 24 Sep 2014
A male Brown Hawker Dragonfly flying up the path we were standing on.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20140924_df2_20140718_1234_107-109 brown hawker dragonfly male in climbing flight towards camera @ 7fps 1-3 of 3 (accurate montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 11 Aug 2013
at 15:08 Image of day on 04 Oct 2013
This is a male Brown Hawker Dragonfly diving down.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20131004_da1_20130811_1508_418_ft1 brown hawker dragonfly male in flight (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 18 Jul 2014
at 12:36 Image of day on 24 Sep 2014
A male Brown Hawker Dragonfly flying by. We have approximately
halved the overall width to give a better view of the insect
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20140924_df2_20140718_1236_165-168 brown hawker dragonfly male in flight @ 7fps 3-6 of 8 (approx halved width montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 03 Jul 2018
at 14:35 Image of day on 22 Aug 2018
A few days later this male Brown Hawker Dragonfly is patrolling the concrete
access track. It is a really good heat trap.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20180822_d72_20180703_1435_020-026 brown hawker dragonfly male in flight @10fps 1-7 of 7 (accurate montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 26 Jun 2011
at 12:33 Image of day on 13 Aug 2011
A Brown Hawker male viewed from underneath the insect.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20110813_da1_20110626_1233_013+1310_156_ft1 brown hawker dragonfly male in flight bottom view with hawthorn twig (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 26 Jun 2011
at 12:39 Image of day on 13 Aug 2011
This detail from another image seemed to us to show how the
pattern of veins in the wings forms sheets of corrugations when
the wing is under stress as here when the insect turned back in
flight.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20110813_da1_20110626_1239_051_ft1 brown hawker dragonfly male in flight showing corrugations on aerodynamically twisted wing (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 25 Jul 2009
at 11:28 Image of day on 30 Aug 2009
A male Brown Hawker Dragonfly male in Flight shown over a twig of
hawthorn from the hedge it frequently flies over. This wonderful
beast weighed in at only 0.9 g (about 1/30th Ounce).
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20090830_da1_20090725_1128_082+20090726_1243_004 ft1 brown hawker dragonfly male in flight with hawthorn twig (montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 03 Jul 2018
at 16:24 Image of day on 22 Aug 2018
A male Brown Hawker Dragonfly, stopped for once. We have male and female of this
species occupying different areas that overlap near the house - get it together folks!
.jpg)
Ref: 20180822_d72_20180703_1624_083 brown hawker dragonfly male perched on tree bark(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 26 Jun 2011
at 12:47 Image of day on 13 Aug 2011
The first couple of warm days at last brought out the Odonata
(Dragonflies and Damselfies) and this male Brown Hawker Dragonfly
obliged with some in-flight images.
Just taking off from the twig (not a montage).
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20110813_da1_20110626_1247_088_ft1 brown hawker dragonfly male taking off from hawthorn twig 2 of 3 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 19 Jul 2015
at 15:38 Image of day on 19 Sep 2015
We think this Brown Hawker must have been hunting something we
can't see - they use their legs as a sort of 'net' to snare
insects in flight. Read the sequence from left to right - this
stuff is all too quick for our eyes to catch the detail.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20150919_df3_20150719_1538_210-212 brown hawker dragonfly maneuvering in flight 1-3 of 3 (accurate montage @ 7fps left to right)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 27 Jul 2021
at 14:28 Image of day on 07 Sep 2021
A Brown Hawker Dragonfly perches on a piece of dead wood high above a hedge.
.jpg)
Ref: 20210907_d73_20210727_1428_022 brown hawker dragonfly perched on high twig(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 26 May 2012
at 17:58 Image of day on 29 Jun 2012
A patch of warm weather at the end of May brought out the first
dragonflies of the year.
First a Common Blue Damselfly - actually not very common here
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20120629_df1_20120526_1758_209 common blue damselfly female (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 23 Jul 2019
at 16:24 Image of day on 11 Sep 2019
This mature female Common Blue Damselfly has chosen to perch on the shaded side
of a plant stem. A heat-wave has produced an air temperature of about 36c
and the insect does not need to warm itself in the blazing sun.
 aligned for shade from stem(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20190911_d72_20190723_1624_031 common blue damselfly female (blue form) aligned for shade from stem(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 21 Jul 2022
at 15:48 Image of day on 01 Sep 2022
This female Common Blue damselfly 'Blue' form is the most common here.
She is perched on a Dead Clover flower usefully providing scale.
She has yet to develop the full blue colour.
 on dead clover flower(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20220901_d72_20220721_1548_011 common blue damselfly female (blue form) on dead clover flower(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 08 Jul 2016
at 15:13 Image of day on 30 Aug 2016
A female Common Blue damselfly aligned along a grass blade.
Female common Blue Damselflies come in several forms, this
one nearest approximates what is called the 'Drab' form.
This hunting insect has no interest in Flowers as a food source.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20160830_df3_20160708_1513_003 common blue damselfly female (drab form)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 22 Aug 2012
at 18:03 Image of day on 24 Sep 2012
Last year the dominant damselfly was the 'Azure' - this year hardly seen.
Instead we have the 'Common Blue' which comes in a variety of colours!
This female blends beautifully with the ripe grass stems.
 in grass seed head (crop 2)(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20120924_df1_20120822_1803_107 common blue damselfly female (drab immature form) in grass seed head (crop 2)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 29 Jun 2024
at 13:32 Image of day on 26 Aug 2024
A female Common Blue Damselfly (blue form) perched on a grass blade.
In flight we find that these insects are almost like 'flying ghosts' with transparent
wings and body easily lost against foliage.
.jpg)
Ref: 20240826_r70_20240629_1332_400 common blue damselfly female blue form(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 24 Jun 2020
at 10:22 Image of day on 30 Jul 2020
A female Common Blue Damselfly in the variant that actually IS blue.
We see that this blue becomes richer as the insect ages.
.jpg)
Ref: 20200730_d73_20200624_1022_006 common blue damselfly female blue form(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 15 Jun 2017
at 10:12 Image of day on 12 Aug 2017
The female Common Blue Damselfly comes in both 'Blue' and two 'Drab' forms.
This is the female 'Blue' form.
.jpg)
Ref: 20170812_d72_20170615_1012_004 common blue damselfly female blue form(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 31 Jul 2021
at 12:52 Image of day on 15 Sep 2021
At the edge of the farmer's undoubtedly insecticide drenched bean crop, we find
just this one female Common Blue Damselfly. This insect is a hunter of midges
and the like, and lays eggs in the ponds, so is probably less effected by the
chemicals than Bees, Butterflies and moths.
.jpg)
Ref: 20210915_d73_20210731_1252_177 common blue damselfly female blue form on dead weed in crop margin(r+mb id@768).jpg
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