Amazingly we’re zipping through October and haven’t turned the heating on yet…and that can only be good for dragonflies! Stephen Barlow reports that good numbers of Black Darter are still on the wing at Whixall Moss along with sightings of Common Darter, Common Hawker and Southern Hawker. I’ve also been sent some fabulous photos from one of our recorders which will hopefully inspire a few of you to keep an eye out for late fliers this autumn. Pictured left is a superb close up of Brown Hawker.
Above left shows Southern Hawker in flight with legs neatly tucked away and broad antehumeral stripes clearly visible. The Emperor above also illustrates the leg position in flight as well as showing the clear yellow costa on the wings.
The final photo of 3 Emerald Damselflies is interesting -a male attached to a male attached to a female!? At least they are all holding their wings at 45 degrees which is textbook!