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Dragonflies & Damselflies Page 23

Image Taken on 14 Jul 2006 at 12:32 Image of day on 30 Jul 2006

Although spending most of their lives as aquatic larva, they spend a lot of the adult phase lurking in vegetation.

Ref: 20060730_d10_20060714_1232_850 large red damselfly male on blackberry leaf(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 17 May 2014 at 10:12 Image of day on 17 Jul 2014

This was our first sighting this year of a male Large Red Damselfly. The stick was a horizontal perch for Darter Dragonflies to hunt from

Ref: 20140717_df2_20140517_1012_225 large red damselfly male on horizontal stick(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 17 Jun 2010 at 12:50 Image of day on 26 Jul 2010

Red eyes - but NOT a red eyed damselfly - a Large Red Damselfly.

Ref: 20100726_db1_20100617_1250_008 large red damselfly male on vertical stem (crop 1)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 17 Jun 2010 at 12:50 Image of day on 26 Jul 2010

A better look at the intricate head and thorax

Ref: 20100726_db1_20100617_1250_008 large red damselfly male on vertical stem (crop 2)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 16 May 2009 at 14:54 Image of day on 09 Jun 2009

Here the same species viewed more conventionally on a leaf.

Ref: 20090609_p34_20090516_1454_293 large red damselfly on blackthorn leaf(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 07 Jun 2013 at 12:55 Image of day on 22 Jul 2013

A pair of Large Red Damselflies are laying eggs in the main pond. The female (lower) is ovipositing on the pond lily leaf below the water surface, as you can see from the floating duckweed.

Ref: 20130722_df1_20130607_1255_044 large red damselfly pair laying in main pond (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 27 Jun 2010 at 11:25 Image of day on 09 Aug 2010

The damselflies are busy mating and laying. Mating couples often get harassed by other males wanting (and sometimes managing to get) the female for themselves.

Ref: 20100809_df1_20100627_1125_118 mating azure damselflies with another male trying to interfere (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 21 Aug 2011 at 14:37 Image of day on 10 Oct 2011

Ref: 20111010_df1_20110821_1437_122+123 mating common darter dragonflies harassed by ruddy darter male 7+8 of 8 (montage for focus)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 21 Aug 2011 at 14:36 Image of day on 10 Oct 2011

A male Ruddy Darter kept bothering the pair - he probably thought the female was 'suitable' for his amorous attentions - we all know what lads are like! Each time the pair landed on the stick along he would come and disturb them.

Ref: 20111010_df1_20110821_1436_102 mating pair of common darter dragonflies harassed by ruddy darter dragonfly male 2 of 8 (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 15 Sep 2021 at 13:04 Image of day on 31 Oct 2021

There are still a few Hawker Dragonflies out in the middle of the day. This one flew to land on a dead twig, and we got to see how badly his wings are worn and torn from weeks of 'Hawking'.
Insects can fly with quite amazingly damaged wings.

Ref: 20211031_d72_20210915_1304_027 migrant (q) hawker dragonfly male with extremely worn wings(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 01 Sep 2026 at 13:04 Image of day on 29 Oct 2026

A rather poor photo of a pair of Migrant Hawker Dragonflies mating in flight. The configuration is known as a 'wheel'.

Ref: 20261029_r52_20260901_1304_084 migrant hawker dragonflies mating in flight (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 05 Sep 2010 at 14:30 Image of day on 31 Oct 2010

This Migrant hawker dragonfly female was hunting over our North boundary on a chilly but sunny day and this was taken as she flew by into the wind slowing her progress enough to follow it with the camera. Note how the legs are neatly folded underneath - something you don't see in our indoor pictures because the insect hasn't had time to pull them up.

Ref: 20101031_df1_20100905_1430_119 migrant hawker dragonfly adult female in flight(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 01 Aug 2026 at 17:56 Image of day on 01 Oct 2026

This Migrant Hawker Dragonfly was moving very slowly over Duck Pond - nearly a second of flight caught here.
Dragonflies can hover and fly backwards - wonderful aerodynamicists.

Ref: 20261001_r52_20260801_1756_356+362+367 migrant hawker dragonfly almost hovering (approx montage 400ms+333ms)(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 22 Aug 2015 at 18:11 Image of day on 23 Oct 2015

Perseverance sometimes brings its own 'luck' - here we caught this moment of a Migrant Hawker Dragonfly just failing to catch an insect. Read the montage left to right, all of this taking about half a second:-

Dragonfly starts the swerve toward the insect.
Dragonfly starts to lower it's legs to make a catch net.
Insect almost caught in net.
Missed it. Oh well, there are thousands more to try for!

Ref: 20151023_df4_20150822_1811_407-410 migrant hawker dragonfly circles to catch but drop insect 4-7 of 8 (accurate montage mirrored)(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 22 Aug 2026 at 15:21 Image of day on 20 Oct 2026

A most unusual moment was to see these two Dragonflies perched on a (disused) telephone cable in front of the house. This is two different species - on the left a female Migrant Hawker Dragonfly and on the right a Male Common Darter.
This montages sharp images of both a bit closer than reality - they were about half-a-metre apart. We have the originals should it matter.

Ref: 20261020_r5w_20260822_1521_005+007 migrant hawker dragonfly f + common darter m on phone cable 1+2 of 6 (montage focus+gap 50cm)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 28 Jul 2024 at 16:28 Image of day on 11 Sep 2024

Some of the Migrant Hawker Dragonflies frequent the sun-warmed concrete access track, and often perch at a convenient human eye height.
This is a female Migrant Hawker Dragonfly.

Ref: 20240911_df3_20240728_1628_097 migrant hawker dragonfly female(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 11 Aug 2023 at 13:07 Image of day on 08 Oct 2023

Its easier to see the detail of a Migrant Hawker Dragonfly when perched in a hedge.

Ref: 20231008_df3_20230811_1307_079 migrant hawker dragonfly female(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 13 Aug 2023 at 12:18 Image of day on 08 Oct 2023

This time we find a female Migrant Hawker Dragonfly awaiting her Portrait.

Ref: 20231008_df3_20230813_1218_196 migrant hawker dragonfly female(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 23 Jul 2021 at 13:21 Image of day on 31 Aug 2021

This female Migrant Hawker Dragonfly hangs in the shade inside a hedge.

Ref: 20210831_pk1_20210723_1321_155 migrant hawker dragonfly female (1st of 2021) (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 16 Jul 2022 at 11:31 Image of day on 01 Sep 2022

The first Migrant Hawker Dragonfly we have spotted this year, this one a female just becoming mature, here 'caught' in flight.

Ref: 20220901_d72_20220716_1131_119 migrant hawker dragonfly female becoming mature (first of 2022)(r+mb id@768).jpg

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