Tag Archives: British dragonflies

Odonata at Maesteg Ponds

16 Wednesday Sep 2026

Posted by in nature

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , ,

When I first visited Maesteg on 22 July, as a result of the heatwaves and drought, there was scarcely any water in the ponds and hardly any odonata species, just two Common darters, and a single Blue-tailed damselfly. As we’ve had a reasonable amount of rain since the drought broke around 18 August, I hoped things would have improved, so I went for another visit last Friday. Although the ponds now held a lot of water, there were only three dragonfly species present, and no damselflies at all, though I saw Emerald damselflies at this site last year and they should still be on the wing. The most prolific species was the Common darter; there were several males perched and in flight, as well as at least two pairs of males and females in cop and egg-laying.

Initially, I thought they were all I was going to see, then another dragon appeared and, like all hawkers, just kept flying and flying and flying, continually prowling the ponds looking for a female to mate with. If there was one, she was staying well hidden. I managed to get this very poor flight shot that was at least good enough to confirm, for recording purposes, that he was a Common hawker, my first – probably the only – Common hawker I will see this year.

I had been walking around the site for perhaps an hour, during which time the sun had mostly disappeared behind thick cloud, and I was beginning to think I should probably just head back to the train station when I picked up a movement below me, to my right, on a slab of stone. I had noticed that the Common darters were often to be seen sitting on the stones, presumably because they held any residual heat from the fleeting glimpses of sun. I watched for a while but couldn’t see anything so walked away but, before I did head back to the town, I checked one more time. And there it was, a single male Black darter, my first for 2026, sitting on the stone.

Lifer: Willow emerald damselfly

13 Thursday Aug 2026

Posted by in insects

≈ Comments Off on Lifer: Willow emerald damselfly

Tags

, , , , , ,

As I mentioned in yesterday’s blog, on Monday I took the train to north Cardiff in search of a special creature, and it seems effort and patience do have their rewards, as I finally found my first ever Willow emerald damselfly (Chalcolestes viridis). Why did I mention effort and patience? Well, this was the fourth time I’d gone searching. The first time involved a two-hour three-train trip to Yate, in south Gloucestershire, because the few sites for this damselfly in south Wales were inaccessible to me as a non-driver. Unfortunately, despite help from a local expert who’d seen as many as ten the previous day, we couldn’t find any Willow emeralds at the only site in Yate. Fortunately, just a few days after that trip, a couple of people found these damselflies for the first time at two locations in north Cardiff. Unfortunately, despite a couple of hours looking each time, my first two searches around Roath Park Lake didn’t produce any Willow emeralds. Fortunately, this past Monday my perseverance paid off and I finally found a single specimen, though, unfortunately, it was high up on the shady side of an Alder tree and disappeared almost immediately after I got the very poor photograph shown here.

Just for some background, the Willow emerald damselfly, also known as the Western willow spreadwing due to its habit of perching with wings outspread, only arrived in Britain in 2009. Since then it has colonised suitable habitat as far north as Yorkshire and, in August 2025, the first specimens were found in Wales (the report of the first sighting, found and written by Monmouthshire county recorder Steve Preddy, is an interesting read). I’m going to keep searching for more of these beauties as I want to learn more about this damselfly’s habits, and to see if I can find it in a new site, and to get better photos. If – no, let’s be positive – when I do manage to get better images, I’ll blog again about this exciting new Welsh resident.

Migrant hawkers are in flight

04 Tuesday Aug 2026

Posted by in nature

≈ Comments Off on Migrant hawkers are in flight

Tags

, , , , ,

It was 23 July and I’d taken the train to north Cardiff for a morning wandering around Forest Farm Nature Reserve. I was hoping for dragons along the Glamorgan Canal but thought I’d take a look around the orchard pond and fields before heading that way. There were quite a few blue-coloured damselflies around the pond, a female Emperor that was egg-laying amongst the vegetation, and a couple of Common darters – all nice to see but nothing to get the heart pumping, and a walk around the orchard and nearby field didn’t produce a single dragon. I decided to head for the canal but, as I was passing the old farm buildings (now used by Cardiff Park rangers and a couple of conservation organisations), I decided to detour along a path behind those buildings. And I’m so glad I did because I had only just turned on to this path when a large dragon flew up. I immediately froze and, fortunately, for me, it settled again on a nearby plant. My first Migrant hawker (Aeshna mixta) of the year!

Since that day I’ve seen at least ten more, though only one stopped long enough for a distant photo, only good for recording purposes. Last Saturday, five of these gorgeous dragons were flying together over a single back garden just a short walk from where I live – they can often be seen in groups like this, constantly flying back and forth. And later that same day I had another three patrolling a path along the edge of a Cardiff park – I watched for perhaps 15 minutes but none stopped flying and it was too hot to linger longer.

Scarce chasers

28 Tuesday Jul 2026

Posted by in insects

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , ,

Well, hello there!

Those amazing blue eyes are the easiest way to distinguish the male Scarce chaser (Libellula fulva) from other quite similar blue-bodied dragonflies like the Keeled skimmer (Orthetrum coerulescens) and the male Black-tailed skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum) (both featured in my blog The skimmers, published in June 2017).

Both sexes of Scarce chaser have brown eyes and a bright orange abdomen when they first emerge, something I didn’t realise when I wrote my first blog about this species, Lifer: Scarce chaser, in June 2025 (though the dragonfly I labelled as female was indeed a female). As the females age, they change to an ochre-brown colour, while the males change to a pruinose pale blue, with a dark tip.

In case you don’t know, pruinescence is a covering of wax particles that develops on the skin as the male dragonfly ages, making it look blue. That pruinescence often gets scraped off during the mating process when the female is holding on to the male’s abdomen. If you look at the image above, you can see these darker scrape marks around the central area of the male’s abdomen, and, looking at the image below of the dragonflies mating, you can see how the female holds on to the male from below, causing the scratching in that area.

These recent photos and sightings were, of course, at RSPB Radipole, in exactly the same location where I saw my first Scarce chasers in 2025. And, just as last year, these dragonflies were very co-operative photographic subjects, though I did eventually just put down my camera and watch as they went about their daily lives. Such stunning creatures!

Golden-ringed dragonfly

26 Sunday Jul 2026

Posted by in insects

≈ Comments Off on Golden-ringed dragonfly

Tags

, , , , , , ,

Golden-ringed dragonflies are impressive beasties! Though the Emperor dragon (Anax imperator) is larger and has the widest wingspan of all the British dragons (10.5 cms), the Golden-ringed (Cordulegaster boltonii) has the longest body of any British odonata species (females grow to around 8.4 cms). This is a dragon I rarely see as it has a preference for the acidic conditions found in the heathlands and peat bogs of upland locations, so you can perhaps imagine my surprise at finding one on 12 July during my walk around RSPB Radipole, a seaside site with extensive reed beds surrounding a tidal river and lake.

It was patrolling one of the footpaths through the reeds and then, miraculously, settled within viewing distance on a Buddleja with first one, then a second Norfolk hawker. And I was delighted that I was able to share this experience with an interested couple who happened along at just the right time and who were also excited to see both dragonfly species together.

Ruddy Ruddy darter

23 Thursday Jul 2026

Posted by in insects

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , , , , ,

You’ll recall that, when I published A tale of two darters five days ago, I wrote ‘Now I need to find one of the blood-red male Ruddy darters, as they look quite stunning in the photos I’ve seen. Watch this space!’ Well …

Seeing these two males was a totally unexpected and absolutely wonderful surprise during my last wander around the nature reserve at Radipole on my final day in Weymouth. And they really are as blood-red as their ‘ruddy’ name implies. Simply sublime!

A tale of two hawkers

21 Tuesday Jul 2026

Posted by in insects

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , ,

June to October are the best months of the year to see the Southern hawker dragonfly (Aeshna cyanea), and so far I’ve seen two. The first was during my wander through Slade Wood on 2 July, a bonus sighting on a day mostly dedicated to looking for butterflies (see NFY: White admiral & Silver-washed fritillary) but which also turned up the Ruddy darters I blogged about last week in A tale of two darters.

It often seems strange to me to find dragonflies patrolling the vegetation lining woodland rides, particularly when the nearest water source is quite some distance away but this is normal behaviour for the Southern hawker, and many other species. I found my second Southern hawker of the year on 5 July, in a similar setting, flying rapidly back and forth along a wooded lane about a mile from the nearest water source. On their website, the British Dragonfly Society notes that this species has spread throughout much of England and Wales in recent years, and has also colonised parts of Scotland, so hopefully many of you will have been privileged to see them in your area.

One of the reasons I booked my latest visit to the south Dorset coast for July was to see more Norfolk hawkers (Aeshna isoceles), a dragonfly species I saw for the first time during a visit to Weymouth last June. I was not disappointed, though I had forgotten how tricky and frustrating they can sometimes be to photograph – like most hawkers, they rarely stay still for long.

Fortunately, the nature reserve at Radipole is just a short walk from where I stay in Weymouth so I was able to wander its trails multiple times and at different times of the day, giving myself as many opportunities as possible of watching these green-eyed beauties. And, as is often the case with wildlife, time and patience and getting to know the behaviour of the creature you’re watching can bring the rewards you’re hoping for. I’m already planning my 2027 wildlife excursions to include Radipole for more Norfolk hawker watching next year.

A tale of two darters

18 Saturday Jul 2026

Posted by in insects

≈ Comments Off on A tale of two darters

Tags

, , , , , , ,

I saw my first Common darter (Sympetrum striolatum) of the year on 26 June, though I haven’t seen many more yet. However, they are known to be common throughout Britain, except for the Scottish highlands and upland locations in the north of England, so I’m sure I’ll be seeing more in the coming weeks – the core months for sightings are from June right through to the end of November, depending on the weather conditions.

At first glance, you might think the two dragonflies shown above are the same species – I certainly did – but they’re not. And, fortunately, as I had seen this other species at this particular location three years ago, I took lots of photos. The second photo (and my third photo, below) shows a Ruddy darter (Sympetrum sanguineum). The Common darter has pale stripes down its legs, whereas the Ruddy darter’s legs are black. Another feature to look for is the black T-shaped mark on the top of the Ruddy darter’s thorax – the Common darter doesn’t have this. If in doubt, the British Dragonfly Society website has excellent side-by-side photos of the tops and sides of the various darter species, which I find very helpful.

Many of you who live in England have probably seen a Ruddy darter but they are not common in the southwest or far north, and, in Wales, are only seen in the eastern counties nearest to England. I found the two shown here during a recent visit to Slade Wood in Monmouthshire. Now I need to find one of the blood-red male Ruddy darters, as they look quite stunning in the photos I’ve seen. Watch this space!

Lesser emperor, at last

04 Saturday Jul 2026

Posted by in insects

≈ Comments Off on Lesser emperor, at last

Tags

, , , , ,

In September last year, I wrote about the encounters I’d had with the Lesser emperor dragonfly (Anax parthenope), the fleeting glimpses of previous years and then the most recent ‘close but partly obscured by a bush’ sighting.

Though this dragonfly does now breed in southern Britain, there are no records of its breeding in south Wales; the Lesser emperors we see are either dragons from further south in Britain or, more likely, migrants. And, this year, probably as a result of the hot south-easterly winds blowing in our direction from the heatwave conditions in Europe, there have been quite a few local sightings of Lesser emperors much earlier in the year than usual.

My local WhatsApp group notifications had been beeping with reports of others finding this dragonfly so I had also been looking, in particular at three different locations along the River Ely where they had been seen in recent weeks or reported in previous years, but I kept coming up empty. Until, finally, a week ago, on 28 June, I was walking along a path not far from one of the lakes at Cosmeston when the flutter of a dragonfly’s wings caught the sunlight. I froze, as they are so easily spooked. And then I could hardly believe my eyes … a Lesser emperor … not zooming past at the speed of light, but perched on a bush in full view. And it actually stayed completely still while I moved ever so slowly and carefully around so as to get photos from each side and front on. This was my best ever view of a Lesser emperor!

The dragon king

28 Sunday Jun 2026

Posted by in insects

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , ,

I saw my first definite Emperor dragonfly (Anax imperator) at the beginning of June (I had fleeting glimpses of likely candidates at the end of May but couldn’t be sure) but, as they spend the majority of their time patrolling their chosen territory, it took 25 more days to get a decent photo.

For most of the 20 minutes I spent yesterday alongside the River Ely at Cardiff’s Grangemoor Park this particular dragon was also constantly flying along and back, along and back over the same piece of water close to the water’s edge but, then, just as I’d decided to head homewards, it veered in over the patch of scrub and wildflowers behind me and disappeared.

I had watched, hoping it would settle somewhere, and I was lucky. Not only had it perched somewhere reasonably accessible but it also stayed put as I slowly, carefully, silently approached, and these images are the happy result. I did have to chuckle when I looked at the photos later and noticed the little colony of aphids on a stalk very close to the dragon’s head. If it had settled just a little to the left, it could have eaten lunch while it rested.