Friday, 28 September 2012

A Flight of Dragonflies

I seem to have an accumulation of dragonfly photos, so here are a few to add a splash of colour to a grey day ... though the sun has now come out. Enjoy! 
Migrant Hawker ... in our Suffolk garden

As above

... the Migrant Hawker again!

First shot at a fidgety Emperor - do they ever stand still?

Male Black-tailed Skimmer (Minsmere)

Pretty sure this is another (rather bedraggled) Emperor.

A Darter - ?Ruddy Darter

?A female Common Darter

ditto

Could this be a Red-veined Darter?

An old female Darter, not sure which kind of Darter though

ditto

Male ?Ruddy Darter ...

... head on!

Emperor, Britain's largest dragonfly ... these hardly ever stop to rest!

Another male Common Darter, I'm guessing

Male Ruddy Darter ... note the 'twine'

... possibly the female Ruddy Darter

I'm very much a novice at identifying these Odonata, so please correct me if you can! These dragonflies were spotted at Minsmere and Helmingham in Suffolk and at How Hill, Hickling and Titchwell in Norfolk during the summer.

Identification aids consulted ...
  •  The Little Guide to the Dragonflies and Damselflies of Minsmere Nature Reserve by Paul Green (2011)
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4 comments:

  1. Em Parkinson28 September 2012 at 11:04

    They're absolutely stunning. I particularly like the one where you can see the hexagonal facet on the eye.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mary28 September 2012 at 16:01

    Wow..you really had a lot of dragons! All so pretty and colorful. You got some great shots of them.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Farida30 September 2012 at 15:31

    I never thought that dragonflies can be a varied of colors too - red, blue, brown hues. And they look gorgeous upfront! Glad you posted about this. I learned something new today. Have a great week :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Adam Tilt30 September 2012 at 19:28

    Great collection Caroline.

    ReplyDelete