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Image-of-the-Day by Subject

Image Taken on 22 Jul 2008 at 16:24    Image of day on 06 Aug 2008

Here is the powerful mouth and segmented eyes.


Ref: 20080806_da1_20080722_1624_011 southern hawker dragonfly sex unsure (web crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg

Image Taken on 29 Sep 2012 at 13:10    Image of day on 09 Nov 2012

The male Southern Hawker Dragonflies continue to patrol the pond in search of females. Here one is taking a rest in the sunshine on an otherwise cold day, hanging from the seed heads of one of the types of Mallow.


Ref: 20121109_df1_20120929_1310_064 southern hawker male dragonfly hanging from mallow seed head (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 15 Sep 2026 at 13:25    Image of day on 14 Nov 2026

Southern Hawker Dragonflies have continued to make appearances


Ref: 20261114_r52_20260915_1325_020 southern hawker male dragonfly in flight(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 15 Sep 2026 at 13:27    Image of day on 14 Nov 2026

Ref: 20261114_r52_20260915_1327_056 southern hawker male dragonfly in flight(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 03 Jul 2020 at 12:58    Image of day on 09 Aug 2020

The first sighting here (in 30 years) of a White-legged Damselfly. This is an immature female flitting around the grass seed heads like a little delicate ghost.


Ref: 20200809_df3_20200703_1258_019 white-legged damselfly female immature (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 14 May 2025 at 13:12    Image of day on 25 Jun 2025

On this old bramble stem we find this immature female White-legged Damselfly.
They often wander far from their breeding grounds when immature.


Ref: 20250625_r70_20250514_1312_206 white-legged damselfly immature female (crop)(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 03 Aug 2026 at 12:37    Image of day on 30 Sep 2026

We have been waiting to see a Willow Emerald Damselfly since around 2009 when it become more than an occasional UK sighting.
Most Damselflies rest with wings laying along the abdomen, but Emeralds and Demoiselles break this 'rule'.


Ref: 20260930_r52_20260803_1237_122 willow emerald damselfly - first ever(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 03 Aug 2026 at 12:43    Image of day on 30 Sep 2026

Ref: 20260930_r52_20260803_1243_293 willow emerald damselfly - first ever(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 10 Aug 2026 at 13:12    Image of day on 09 Oct 2026

Lucky moment of the month - first seeing our first Willow Emerald Damselfly (a male) another day seeing two in the same pond (a male and another never identified). Finally we catch this moment of a Female laying eggs on the same stem where we were seeing the male perching. This species lays eggs in Willow and other soft wood over water. Apparently the egg laying leaves a characteristic pattern on the bark, but we can't get close enough to this twig to see it.


Ref: 20261009_r70_20260810_1312_037+038 willow emerald damselfly female laying in twig in duck pond 1+2 of 3 (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 09 Aug 2026 at 12:30    Image of day on 08 Oct 2026

Willow Emerald Damselflies are one of the Odonata species that conveniently often return to exactly the same perch as they left to chase some midge to eat.


Ref: 20261008_r52_20260809_1230_365-372 willow emerald damselfly landing on perch over duck pond @15fps 2+4+6+9 of 9 (acc flight montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 14 Aug 2026 at 12:50    Image of day on 14 Oct 2026

Ref: 20261014_r52_20260814_1250_046 willow emerald damselfly male(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 09 Aug 2026 at 12:26    Image of day on 08 Oct 2026

Willow Emerald Damselflies seem to appear at the Duck Pond in the middle of the day.


Ref: 20261008_r52_20260809_1226_047 willow emerald damselfly male(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 09 Aug 2026 at 12:27    Image of day on 08 Oct 2026

Ref: 20261008_r52_20260809_1227_049 willow emerald damselfly male(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 03 Aug 2026 at 12:40    Image of day on 30 Sep 2026

The same Willow Emerald Damselfly was hunting from a piece of stick in a dried out section of the Duck pond. It quite handy the some species return repeatedly to the same perch after dashing out to catch some midge - start the camera running as they leave and hope! These images are slightly spread to avoid overlap, but the straight to the target flight is what we saw.


Ref: 20260930_r52_20260803_1240_198-203 willow emerald damselfly male flies to perch in pond @15fps 02-06+08 of 10 (approx montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 14 Aug 2026 at 12:48    Image of day on 14 Oct 2026

After seeing the female Willow Emerald Damselfly ovipositing we haven't seen her again. But this male is still about.


Ref: 20261014_r52_20260814_1248_035 willow emerald damselfly male inc possible female ovipositing marks on stem(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 21 Sep 2026 at 15:39    Image of day on 17 Nov 2026

We assumed that we had seen the last of the Willow Emerald Damselflies, But this female unexpectedly landed on a sun warmed leaf so we took her photo.


Ref: 20261117_r5w_20260921_1539_106 willow emerald damselfly perched on leaf(r+mb id@768).jpg

Image Taken on 10 Aug 2026 at 12:48    Image of day on 09 Oct 2026

This male Willow Emerald Damselfly makes this erratic approach back to his perch.
Loads of overlaps - a nightmare to accurately montage!


Ref: 20261009_r5w_20260810_1248_040-047 willow emerald damselfly returning to perch over duck pond @15fps 01-08 of 12 (accurate montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg

Image Taken on 24 Jul 2007 at 15:04    Image of day on 19 Aug 2007

This a mid-sized pair of dragonflies in the 'wheel' position in which they mate. The male is the red insect on the top clasping the female by the neck. They can actually fly coupled like this.


Ref: 20070819_d10_20070724_1504_045 yellow-winged darter dragonflies in wheel position(r+mb id@576).jpg

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