Here be Dragons... and a couple of Damsels

Broad-bodied Chaser (female)

I always feel excited by the first sightings of dragonflies and damselflies. These insects are so dazzling and so colourful. They are somehow so alien, too, with their mysterious lives, delicate wings and vast eyeballs.

This Four-spotted Chaser in the photos below was seen at RSPB Minsmere last weekend...

If dragonflies can be hard to identify at times, damselflies (with a few exceptions) are often difficult to sort out with certainty, particularly since they can look so varied at different stages of their development. I am going to need some help with the one below. I shall post it on iSpot... and keep you posted, but please leave a comment if you know.

I suspect this is am ore common one. Again I will let you know when I find out.

And finally, to add a bit of fiery colour, here is a completely different insect, a Red-and-Black Froghopper. The photo was also taken last weekend at RSPB Minsmere.