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Dragonflies & Damselflies Page 27

Image Taken on 29 Jun 2018 at 10:19    Image of day on 26 Aug 2018

A male Ruddy Darter Dragonfly perches on the ragged end of a hedge twig. This one gradually changing colour to the mature form.


Ref: 20180826_df3_20180629_1019_024 ruddy darter dragonfly male(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 03 Jul 2018 at 14:44    Image of day on 26 Aug 2018

A brightly coloured mature male Ruddy Darter Dragonfly on the desiccated leaves of a bramble stem cut because it was growing over a path.
Keeping the paths navigable is an endless task at this time of year.


Ref: 20180826_d72_20180703_1444_065 ruddy darter dragonfly male(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 04 Oct 2016 at 15:09    Image of day on 19 Nov 2016

After a week or two of absence this Ruddy Darter Dragonfly was out warming itself in the sunshine despite a cold wind. As the summer fades dragonflies make use of any sunshine in their search for a final mating.


Ref: 20161119_df3_20161004_1509_070 ruddy darter dragonfly male(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 21 Aug 2016 at 13:27    Image of day on 12 Oct 2016

If you have a pond and push an angled stick onto the top that overhangs the water, Darter Dragonflies will often choose it for a look-out post. We used this Willow stick and despite already spouting (as willows do) this male Ruddy Darter likes the perch.


Ref: 20161012_df3_20160821_1327_028 ruddy darter dragonfly male(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 07 Aug 2013 at 12:36    Image of day on 26 Sep 2013

The first of the year's Ruddy Darter Dragonfly glowing in the fickle sunlight.


Ref: 20130926_df1_20130807_1236_101 ruddy darter dragonfly male (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 22 Jul 2008 at 16:31    Image of day on 04 Aug 2008

Darter dragonflies are smaller than Hawker Dragonflies. They tend to perch on twig, dash out for a fly round, and then return.


Ref: 20080804_da1_20080722_1631_062 ruddy darter dragonfly male (web crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 22 Jul 2008 at 16:36    Image of day on 04 Aug 2008

In this detailed shot you can see it is 'dusty' even over the eyes. When he has warmed up he will probably 'preen' himself clean.


Ref: 20080804_da1_20080722_1636_101 ruddy darter dragonfly male (web crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 21 Sep 2008 at 12:50    Image of day on 11 Oct 2008

This is the only 'Ruddy Darter' dragonfly we have seen on our patch and was a rather old and darkened individual on possibly his last day with the weather cooling down. He sat quietly in the sunshine on a leaf as we took his portrait and later flew off


Ref: 20081011_dc1_20080921_1250_405 ruddy darter dragonfly male head detail (web crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg


Image Taken on 18 Aug 2012 at 13:58    Image of day on 29 Sep 2012

This Ruddy Darter is an intermediate sized dragonfly that will perch on a stick hanging out over the water as seen in the second image.


Ref: 20120929_da1_20120818_1358_032_ft1 ruddy darter dragonfly male in flight (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 25 Aug 2019 at 13:23    Image of day on 23 Oct 2019

We caught this male Ruddy Darter Dragonfly while perched on a piece of Iris leaf, which accompanies it in the photo.
This is the BOTTOM view of the insect - the red top and sides of the abdomen is not carried through underneath - something we noted many years ago when photographing dragonflies in UV light on both sides. Details of this project are on the web site.


Ref: 20191023_da1_20190825_1323_098+1601_144_ft1 ruddy darter dragonfly male in flight (bottom view) + flag iris leaf (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg


Image Taken on 29 Aug 2016 at 12:33    Image of day on 18 Oct 2016

A male Ruddy Darter Dragonfly perched on a desiccated blackberry stem. We seem to have an unusually high number of this species this year.


Ref: 20161018_df3_20160829_1233_042 ruddy darter dragonfly male on blackberry stem(r+mb id@768).jpg


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


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