Devon SSSI nature reserve and eco lodges - Maggie's Blog
Hilary's list:
Large red damselfly - Pyrrhosoma nyphuula
Blue-tailed damselfly - Ischnura elegans
Common blue damselfy - Enallagma cyathigerum
Common hawker - Aeshna juncea
Emperor dragonfly - Anax imperator
Broad-bodied chaser - Libellula depressa
Black-tailed skimmer - Orthetrum cancellatum
The dragonflies and damselflies are out in force, patrolling up and down the banks of the ponds mostly but also to be found over the meadows. Here's a few pictures I've managed to get with my camera - really I think I need a better lens and a lot more time to lie in wait - they're fast moving but many of them return to favourite perches.
Last month Hilary Marshall was amongst the botanists who came to look at the nature reserve. She's also a dragonfly / damselfly expert, so took a quick look around the ponds. So for the record, here's what she found. Nothing particularly rare here, but it's good to see a growing list, especially as we made such changes to the pond (where the juvenile stages live)last year - I wondered if we'd have any at all this summer. But then the adults can disperse over several miles, so maybe some of these are newcomers.
We have Golden-ringed dragonfly here too, and I'm pretty sure we have Azure damselflies. To distinguish some of these species (eg common and azure damselfies you have to look at the shape of the black patterns on the second abdominal segment of the males - can be tricky unless you get up close. If anyone wants an easy to use guide I recommend the laminated sheet produced by the Field Studies Council - you can buy it online from their website. We put them in the lodges too, so if you're coming you should find one waiting for you.
8 August
Fierce dragons and elegant damsels...
