Contributions of the group Dragonflies and Damselflies

2026-07-31 00010

nobody@ipernity.com (Richard Nuttall) — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 13:41:25 +0000

Ruddy Darter a less commonly seen dragonfly, in fact the first I've seen for several years, at a pond in Bickershaw.
Even better the pond is a relatively new one only a few years old, so its great to see its attracting wildlife already

2026-07-28 00022

nobody@ipernity.com (Richard Nuttall) — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 09:54:54 +0000

Richard Nuttall has posted:

Female Common Darter -Low Hall NNR

2026-07-28 00017

nobody@ipernity.com (Richard Nuttall) — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 09:54:53 +0000

Richard Nuttall has posted:

Norfolk Hawker -Amberswood NNR

2026-07-28 00015

nobody@ipernity.com (Richard Nuttall) — Wed, 29 Jul 2026 09:54:52 +0000

Richard Nuttall has posted:

Common Darter Male Low Hall NNR

Dragonflies in flight

nobody@ipernity.com (Gavin Johnson) — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 06:38:19 +0000

Gavin Johnson has posted:

I thought photographing birds in flight was difficult, until I tried going after dragonflies! I was pleased with this one, though.

Top to bottom: A male rather ragged Emperor Dragonfly defending his patch; a Brown Darter; and a second, fresher looking Emperor a little upstream. Worth zooming is a bit to see the detail.

My wife was very patient waiting for me to get my shots, and helped explain what I was doing to passers-by on the canal who saw me pointing the camera at random, apparently empty spaces!

More Azure Damselflies mating

nobody@ipernity.com (Gavin Johnson) — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 06:48:57 +0000

Gavin Johnson has posted:

Yesterday I posted an image from last year of a pair of damselflies. That must have influenced my choice of afternoon walk, as we found ourselves back at the local reservoir yesterday afternoon, and I found more of the little beauties.

I think this new image has more detail, and I like the way their bodies are bent into a heart shape.

Emperor Dragonfly

nobody@ipernity.com (Gavin Johnson) — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 06:53:48 +0000

Gavin Johnson has posted:

Not the most artistic photo I've taken (though I quite like the reflection). This is a female Emperor Dragonfly (Anax imperator) laying eggs in a large pond.

The Emperor is the largest dragonfly in Europe, but while laying, she was frequently "buzzed" by Azure Damselflies (upper left). I'm not sure if they were bravely defending their territory, or looking to eat the Emperor's eggs.