Henry Stanier, Great Fen monitoring and research officer of the Cambridgeshire Wildlife Trust, describes his joy at seeing a spectacular rare dragonfly in the Great Ouse Valley.
For me, the highlight of the year will be my close encounters with the Norfolk Hawker dragonfly.
It has been on the move for some years now and so is no longer confined locally to Paxton Pits Nature Reserve.
It used to be restricted to sites with Water Soldier plants which provide dense cover for egg-laying, but now it is dispersing far beyond them.
It has been seen a few times in the Great Fen in recent years, and has already been spotted at new locations there this year, and so I was overjoyed to have one in my back garden in May.
Its distinctive yellow triangle between the wings left me in no doubt of its identification. Then I was very happy to see another on the River Great Ouse in July while on an electric riverboat trip, along with another of my favourite species, the Banded Demoiselle damselfly.
The hot weather at the end of July has resulted in the summer species of ‘dragonflies’ becoming more conspicuous.
The Great Ouse is patrolled by the magnificent Brown Hawker at this time of year, while along the riverside paths you may encounter the Ruddy Darter. Southern Hawker dragonflies are hunting in woodlands and shadier locations.
The term ‘dragonfly’ is now used to include species of the true dragonflies and true damselflies. What is the difference? For an adult, if it holds its wings out at the side when it lands, it is a dragonfly.
If it folds them along its body, it is a damselfly. Damselflies do tend to be smaller in size, but there are always exceptions to these rules.
Looking forward to the coming weeks, watch out for Migrant Hawker dragonflies. The Willow Emerald damselfly is also now on the wing, so scan the tree-lined ditches and other waterbodies where the males hold their territory.
This is part of our monthly Great Ouse Valley Trust series of columns. Check online for more information about the GOVT.
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