Hairy Dragonfly

When the weather forecast was for a fine day I just had to head into Cheshire in search of the early season Odonata. The Hairy Dragonfly (Brachytron pratense) was once very scarce in the county but in the last ten years has expanded its range and there are now several areas where it can be confidently expected amongst the marl pits and slow-flowing rivers. This male took a short break from its labours before resuming the search for females amongst the marginal vegetation of a pond.