tarboat's photos with the keyword: odonata

Whilst I was eating my lunch this teneral female Common Hawker ( Aeshna juncea ) landed in an adjacent bush and was good enough to remain whilst I took a photo.

The male Variable Damselfly Coenagrion pulchellum is fairly easily recognised and differentiated from similar species whereas the female can be rather more difficult to identify. This is a female seen at a marl pit at Churton in the west of Cheshire.

It was a fine sunny day for looking at dragonflies and a trip to west Cheshire yielded plenty of action. These are a tandem pair of Hairy Dragonflies ( Brachytron pratense ) at a marl pit in Churton.

The dragonfly season started today for me when I found this teneral male Downy Emerald ( Cordulia aenea ) at Newchurch Common.

Sitting on the heather in the sun was this teneral female Common Blue Damselfly ( Enallagma cyathigerum ) at Newchurch Common.

The brilliant emerald eyes of the mature Downy Emerald ( Cordulia aenea ), and from which it derives its name, are clearly seen on this male at Hatchmere.

The distinctive semi-openwinged stance of the Emerald Damselfly ( Lestes sponsa ) at rest is clearly seen wih this female at Delamere

Male Keeled Skimmer ( Orthetrum coerulescens ) in typical pose and typical boggy habitat high up in Snowdonia.

We don't often get dragonflies in the garden here at Tarboat Towers but this morning we were graced by a female Southern Hawker ( Aeshna cyanea ) feeding along the hedge. The resident Speckled Wood butterflies appeared to be unimpressed.

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.

It may have been a poor summer in the UK but a trip to the Lancashire moors yielded one of the highlights when I found this pair of Common Hawkers (Aeshna juncea). Best viewed large.

A male Broad-bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa) at Newchurch Common in Cheshire.