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Image-of-the-Day by Subject

Image Taken on 16 Aug 2016 at 14:12    Image of day on 01 Oct 2016

A Ruddy Darter Dragonfly glowing gorgeously in the sunshine as he guards his territory


Ref: 20161001_df3_20160816_1412_123 ruddy darter dragonfly male on desiccated stem(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 01 Aug 2019 at 12:50    Image of day on 19 Sep 2019

A male Ruddy Darter Dragonfly perched on Hop Sedge.
The colour really is this red - paintings in ID books just don't do him justice!


Ref: 20190919_df3_20190801_1250_017 ruddy darter dragonfly male on hop sedge(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 20 Aug 2012 at 15:28    Image of day on 29 Sep 2012

Ruddy Darter dragonflies tend to perch on the tips of sticks and vegetation overhanging the water's edge, flying away and returning repeatedly.


Ref: 20120929_df1_20120820_1528_051 ruddy darter dragonfly male on iris frond(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 13 Jul 2018 at 13:58    Image of day on 04 Sep 2018

Darter Dragonflies do like to perch on items low over the water. Here a Ruddy Darter Dragonfly hunts and patrols from a turned-over Iris leaf.


Ref: 20180904_d72_20180713_1358_007 ruddy darter dragonfly male on turned over iris leaf(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 07 Oct 2022 at 12:32    Image of day on 13 Nov 2022

A belated first sighting this year of a Ruddy Darter Dragonfly here, this male taking advantage of the warm concrete track.


Ref: 20221113_df3_20221007_1232_074 ruddy darter dragonfly male on warm concrete track (1st of 2022)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 26 Aug 2013 at 10:27    Image of day on 28 Oct 2013

The seed heads mean no more to this male Ruddy Darter dragonfly than a convenient place to perch to warm in the sunshine.


Ref: 20131028_a77_20130826_1027_003 ruddy darter dragonfly male perched on ragwort seed head (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 29 Aug 2019 at 12:31    Image of day on 23 Oct 2019

A Few Ruddy Darters are stationed around the ponds. This one was perched on a dead Blackberry stem ready to leap out to catch any passing midge.


Ref: 20191023_df3_20190829_1231_006 ruddy darter dragonfly male perched on tip of dead blackberry stem(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 10 Jul 2010 at 15:59    Image of day on 21 Aug 2010

A 'Ruddy Darter' dragonfly caught over the sedge at Duck pond who we 'invited' in for a few minutes for some photos in flight.


Ref: 20100821_da1_20100710_1559_175+1635_192_ft1 ruddy darter dragonfly mature male in flight with hop sedge (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 25 Jul 2019 at 15:04    Image of day on 10 Sep 2019

A male Ruddy Darter is perched on an Iris leaf.
First sighting of this insects 2019.


Ref: 20190910_d73_20190725_1504_020 ruddy darter dragonfly perched on iris leaf (1st of 2019)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 18 Sep 2018 at 12:46    Image of day on 12 Nov 2018

This male Ruddy Darter Dragonfly was flying from stick tip to stick tip as he keeps a look-out for rivals and mates.


Ref: 20181112_df3_20180918_1246_176+1250_193 ruddy darter dragonfly perched on tip of sticks (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 03 Sep 2019 at 10:20    Image of day on 28 Oct 2019

A mature female Ruddy Darter Dragonfly on the tip of a cut Blackberry stem shows the sun shining through the orange pterostigma - the coloured patches near the tips of the wings - that are present but takes many forms in the various Odonata species.


Ref: 20191028_df3_20190903_1020_719 ruddy darter mature female(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image of day on 04 Sep 2005

This Darter Dragonfly (Ruddy Sympetrum) perched on a warm rock at one of the night photo stations and show an almost perfect shadow of it's wings.


Ref: 20050904_p20_1030429 ruddy sympetrum darter dragonfly and its shadow 2005aug28_13-32-48(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 10 Oct 2012 at 13:18    Image of day on 13 Nov 2012

This female Southern Hawker Dragonfly individual has frequented a sunny and sheltered section of the meadow for several October days. We know her from her torn wing and tatty wing tips, but she can fly well.


Ref: 20121113_df1_20121010_1318_175+185 souther hawker dragonfly female with torn wing near dandelion flower 1+2 of 2 (montage for focus)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 24 Jun 2010 at 12:28    Image of day on 03 Aug 2010

Dragonflies end their 2 or 3 year life as predatory aquatic larvae by crawling up a plant stem and emerging from a pupal case (Exuvia) to expand into the flying insect. This image shows the intricacy of the case including transparent eyes and the strands which are insides of the breathing spiracles. The insect exited out of the upper back. Thanks for Rory for the gift of the Exuvia from his garden pond.
If you are interested in more detail we photographed an exit sequence of a different dragonfly species in 1999 (with far inferior equipment) which you can see at Dragonfly Emergence sequence


Ref: 20100803_d12_20100624_1228_008 southern hawker dragonfly exuvia side (@ rory morrisey) (rgb) (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 26 Jul 2023 at 12:56    Image of day on 18 Sep 2023

Another sighting of a female Southern Hawker Dragonfly warming quietly in the sunshine.


Ref: 20230918_df3_20230726_1256_113 southern hawker dragonfly female(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 27 Jul 2008 at 13:53    Image of day on 12 Aug 2008

Dragonflies really are incredible creatures. Unlike the one shown a few days ago this is definitely a female. Sexing can be difficult - the colours change with maturity and even with temperature and other characteristics don't appear in photos


Ref: 20080812_da1_20080727_1353_017 southern hawker dragonfly female(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 23 Jul 2021 at 13:17    Image of day on 31 Aug 2021

Finally the hot weather has brought out the first dragons - well Hawker Dragonflies at least!
This female Southern Hawker Dragonfly is perched on a twig basking in the hot sunshine.


Ref: 20210831_pk1_20210723_1317_150 southern hawker dragonfly female (1st of 2021) (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 27 Jul 2008 at 13:59    Image of day on 12 Aug 2008

Here is a head shot with an inset showing the compound eye.
Compound eyes are an array of uni-directional cells rather than lens and retina. Resolution is poor but they have huge angle of view, are lightweight, detect movement quickly, and some detect polarisation (used to navigate by skylight).
More info at Wiki Compound Eye.
The streaks on the eye in the main image are Moire (artificial digital patterning) effects at the reduced resolution used in these archives.


Ref: 20080812_da1_20080727_1359_073 southern hawker dragonfly female eye detail (web sized 768)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 23 Aug 2012 at 12:13    Image of day on 06 Oct 2012

Female Southern hawker dragonflies don't systematically patrol ponds like the males do, but hunt around the hedges and rank grass. Here she is hung up on a dead stem.


Ref: 20121006_df1_20120823_1213_004 southern hawker dragonfly female hanging from dead stem (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 17 Aug 2020 at 12:11    Image of day on 28 Sep 2020

Our first (and so far only) sighting this year of a Southern Hawker Dragonfly. This is a female hanging on stinging nettle flowers.


Ref: 20200928_d73_20200817_1211_042 southern hawker dragonfly female hanging from stinging nettle flowers (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

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