4 spot conundrums............

 In my wanderings this year I have a feeling that I have seen less of these guys- the 4 spotted chaser than four years ago when I first started dragonflying. That in my perception was a good year for 4 spots but this year and last I seem to be seeing less of them. They are about but just not so many. They remain as larvae for 1-3 years so it may not be what has happened this year as much as what happened the last 1-3 years. An interesting question and has made me think I need to look back through my notes and see if I can find any clues?

 There also seem to be less butterflies this year- perhaps due to the heavy and prolongued rainfall- but I have seen a lot of bees - so what is good for one species may not be good for another. Bees are creatures I would like to learn some more about and are on my list of areas to read up on.

Had a great Sunday with the Wildlife Trust learning about longhorn and soldier beetles- and it was a great basis to help me understand more about the types of beetles and how to identify them. So looking at flowers and umbellifers this time of year is a good place to find them - now the hard task of identifying them. So lots to look out for - next week the Norfolk Hawker if I am lucky- but its time now for the Hawkers to be on the wing and who knows just what I may find!

Dragons get the munchies

Fabulous walk along the River Ouse at Roxton today. Had some good views of the red-eyed damselfly - they are easy to spot as they just love sitting on lilly pads. This is the Red-eyed- but I have not yet seen this year the small red-eyed- one to plan a visit to find on another sunny day.

 It was a day when the the dragons had got the munchies and here is a photo of the beautiful male banded demoiselle devouring a mayfly. Did not see any mayfly on the wing so this was a lucky catch for this creature - you may be able to make out the long tails of the mayfly which was still alive - David tried to release it but the demoiselle just flew off with it's catch.

 My first viewing this year of a Hairy Dragonfly female - and this one too was dining. She flew by me with a demoiselle in her basket claws and then perched to have her lunch. She was a very attractive dragon and quite different to the male counterpart. The hairs on her abdomen which give her the name are visible.

And a nice surprise- peeping over a leaf as I walked along was this scarce chase- probably towards the end of the season for them now so a nice last take for this year. There have been good numbers at Roxton so lets hope they have come to stay and will migrate down the river.  Altogether a good afternoon - with black tailed skimmers aplenty, 4 spotted chasers, common blue, azure and blue tailed damsels plus a few butterflies and lots of bumblebees.

Who is looking at who?

 A lovely sunny afternoon on Sunday was good for a visit to a couple of dragonfly sites, including Duck End. The marshy pond appears to be a real nursery this year for large red and azure damselflies and they arise in small clouds from the plants alongside the pond when diturbed by my footfall. The meadow behind this is abalze with wildflowers in particula the semi-parasitic yellow rattle, a member of the figwort family. The inflated capsules do indeed rattle when the seed is ripe inside them. But this was a nice chance to photograph a female large red damselfly- one of the red form typica.

 And it was encouraging to see several damsels in the wheel- a hopeful sign for azures again next year. There were also couples flying together and a few ovipositing the fertilised eggs onto vegetation at or just below the surface. And thus the circle of life starts again - after a few weeks green coloured larvae will hatch from the eggs and live in the pond r. They will feed greedily on small invertebrates until they emerge next spring as the beautiful azure- which seems to hold itself so ably as it flies.

 And I couldn't resist this shot - question- who is looking at who?