Return to moorhen home page
Return to section index
Image-of-the-Day by Subject
Dragonflies & Damselflies Page 15
Image Taken on 01 Oct 2022
at 15:11 Image of day on 04 Nov 2022
This photo (again on polystyrene foam - what's the attraction?) is a Common Darter Dragonfly.
Ref: 20221104_d72_20221001_1511_126 common darter dragonfly female perched on polystyrene packaging (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 03 Sep 2023
at 12:57 Image of day on 29 Oct 2023
A female Common Darter Dragonfly perches on the seed head.
Ref: 20231029_df3_20230903_1257_109 common darter dragonfly female perched on seed head(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 30 Aug 2022
at 10:29 Image of day on 07 Oct 2022
Not many Darter Dragonflies (intermediate in size between Hawker Dragonflies
and Damselflies) so far this year. This one is perched on what looks like a seed head.
Down the stem is a rather nice Spider's web, though a fly caught in it would disagree.
Ref: 20221007_df3_20220830_1029_007 common darter dragonfly female perched on seed head of red campion (q) (crop 1)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 26 Jul 2008
at 11:01 Image of day on 10 Aug 2008
This is the female Common Darter Dragonfly perched on a stick at the pond edge -
a favourite way of getting to see them close up.
Ref: 20080810_dc1_20080726_1101_004 common darter dragonfly female perched on stick (web crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 29 Sep 2013
at 15:10 Image of day on 02 Dec 2013
An old female Common Darter dragonfly using a teasel as
a perch. This image shows the hairy body rather well.
Ref: 20131202_a77_20130929_1510_006 common darter dragonfly female perched on teasel head (crop 2 detail)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 30 Aug 2024
at 12:24 Image of day on 19 Oct 2024
A Darter Dragonfly perched on the vertical tip of a broken-off Blackberry stem.
Darters normally choose more sloping stick end, so this one has to grip the wood
by wrapping the legs around the twig.
We have watched these lovely little creatures for decades, and never perceived
the legs as being this long!
Ref: 20241019_d72_20240830_1224_027 common darter dragonfly female perched on tip of broken twig with legs wrapped around the stem(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 01 Oct 2022
at 15:13 Image of day on 04 Nov 2022
Here she is now on a Hawthorn leaf.
Ref: 20221104_d72_20221001_1513_135 common darter dragonfly female perched on withering hawthorn leaf(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 20 Aug 2014
at 12:07 Image of day on 30 Oct 2014
A Common Darter (on the menu for the Hobby!) flying close to the water.
Horizontally spread for clarity.
Ref: 20141030_df2_20140820_1207_028-030 common darter dragonfly flying close to water surface @ 7fps 1-3 of 3 (spread montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 06 Aug 2016
at 14:35 Image of day on 29 Sep 2016
A Common Darter Dragonfly was repeatedly returning to this bent over Hop Sedge
providing the opportunity for an image of the landing.
Ref: 20160929_df3_20160806_1435_181+182 common darter dragonfly landing on desiccated hop sedge 1+2 of 3 (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 14 Sep 2019
at 17:40 Image of day on 08 Nov 2019
This is a male Common Darter Dragonfly perched on a cut hedge twig
Ref: 20191108_df3_20190914_1740_091 common darter dragonfly male(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 08 Aug 2019
at 10:54 Image of day on 29 Sep 2019
A male Common Darter Dragonfly quietly glowing in the backlighting sun.
Ref: 20190929_df3_20190808_1054_008 common darter dragonfly male(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 11 Aug 2018
at 12:39 Image of day on 04 Oct 2018
A Common Darter Dragonfly perched aligned with a thin frond of Hop Sedge.
Ref: 20181004_df3_20180811_1239_077 common darter dragonfly male(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 25 Jul 2009
at 14:39 Image of day on 03 Sep 2009
We netted a couple of male darter dragonflies. We were surprised to find the second
about 50% heavier than the first.
Ref: 20090903_da1_20090725_1439_590+20090726_1243_003 ft1 common darter dragonfly male (130mg) in flight with hawthorn twig (montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 25 Jul 2009
at 14:56 Image of day on 03 Sep 2009
The apparent expression on the 'face' and the leg waving as it flew by really
cracks us up. We know its not real but still love it.
Ref: 20090903_da1_20090725_1456_671+20090726_1229_005 ft1 common darter dragonfly male (220mg) in flight with hawthorn twig (montage)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 28 Sep 2021
at 11:07 Image of day on 06 Nov 2021
Darter Dragonflies are still about on sunny days.
This one found a garden bench a good place to warm in the sunshine.
Ref: 20211106_d72_20210928_1107_110+1108_115 common darter dragonfly male basking on garden seat (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 27 Jul 2007
at 18:06 Image of day on 24 Aug 2007
The intricacy of the dragonfly head is amazing. Reflections from the
multi-segment eye produces the gleaming patch.
Ref: 20070824_d01_20070727_1806_020 common darter dragonfly male head detail (web crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 01 Sep 2024
at 15:58 Image of day on 19 Oct 2024
This male Common Darter Dragonfly caught an eye perched on one of the mains cables on
its final span from concrete pole to house. We don't have any reference to a similar sighting.
The Dragonfly was behaving normally for a Darter - sitting quietly before leaping out to grab
some, to us at the distance of perhaps 6 metres, invisible prey item, before returning
to the same perch. When the perch is a stick or similar you can keep the camera firing
images until the hoped for return, but hundreds of twists of copper wire look the same
to both man and beast, and the Dragonfly never landed in the same place twice!
Ref: 20241019_d72_20240901_1558_089 common darter dragonfly male hunting from overhead mains cable(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 22 Jul 2019
at 16:07 Image of day on 10 Sep 2019
Our first Darter Dragonfly of the year - an immature male Common Darter.
Ref: 20190910_df3_20190722_1607_022 common darter dragonfly male immature (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 17 Sep 2010
at 12:34 Image of day on 08 Nov 2010
This image of a male of the same species is taken as a single exposure
using a strobe light - a very fast flash with the shutter held open.
80Hz means 80 flashes a second, so the image below last for about 1/10th second.
These have to be photographed against an extremely black
background (typically 20 flashes hit it) and are not photo montages but made
'in the camera' with the images appearing to be transparent.
Ref: 20101108_da1_20100917_1234_018_ft1 common darter dragonfly male in flight strobe @ 80hz (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 16 Aug 2010
at 13:58 Image of day on 01 Oct 2010
A common darter dragonfly in flight.
Darters dragonflies are intermediate in size between Damselflies
and Hawker Dragonflies and you may spot them perching on
overhanging pond side foliage, taking off and returning to the
same spot.
Ref: 20101001_da1_20100816_1358_053+1544_157_ft1 common darter dragonfly male in flight with flag iris leaf (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Comments and requests for image use
To make a comment, ask for information or to request a full
resolution image, send us an email including the reference or
the date for the image you are interested in.
All initial contacts should be made using the icon below:-