Chris Shaw has sent in these photos of a female Black Darter – one of several individuals seen at Prees Higher Heath just southeast of the southern car park. Black Darter was also recorded here for the first time in 2021 when it was thought the individuals may have flown from Steel Heath 1.5km to the west. This is a declining species and all sightings are important so take a close look at your darters; the female and immature males have a black triangle visible on top of the thorax and both sexes have a characteristic pattern of yellow spots on the side of the thorax.
Elsewhere Jake Dudderidge has been enjoying White-legged Damselflies (below right) and Banded Demoiselles (bottom 4 photos) on the River Severn in Shrewsbury. Jake’s photos show a typical frenzy as males compete for a single female just visible in the chaos! The tandem pair shows the diagnostic band on the wing of the male and a white pseudopterostigma (false wing spot) on the wing of the female. I have zoomed in on the pair of ovipositing females to highlight the blade like ovipositor used by the female to cut into the vegetation and insert her eggs.
