We once had a Migrant Hawker in the garden on the day of the Autumn Equinox so I always associate this species with the end of summer. However, we are only just past mid-August this year, so I mustn't get ahead of myself.
It is, of course, always special to find one of these dragons in the garden, regardless of the day on the calendar. David took the photograph above this morning while we were enjoying coffee outside. I had a strong hunch it was a Migrant Hawker, and the yellow 'golf tee' mark at S2 near the top of the abdomen confirms this.
We have noticed that leaves are beginning to turn already. I expect the heatwaves have been a contributory factor. I love the bright red colour of this Virginia Creeper (or is it Russian Vine?), but I hope the other leaves won't follow suit too speedily.
I wonder who will find these Blackberries! We have various bits of bramble around the perimeter of the garden: we encourage it to grow and hope it will entice wildlife.
How lucky you are to have those beasties in your garden. Here, they are the most common of the big dragonfly species, although you do seem to get the odd southern hawker here too. They are wonderful animals, stunning flyers and aggressive hunters
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