Mark Priest visited Shrewsbury in search of Clubtails to find they had emerged and were no where to be seen. He was rewarded however with White-legged Damselflies. This photo of a female (left) beautifully illustrates the diagnostic chestnut coloured pterostigma (wingspots) and the flattened tibiae (lower legs). As Mark was searching on the river ironically a flurry of Clubtail sightings came in some distance from the river. Rhian Jones saw this male (below) land in his garden in Maesbrook -presumably emerged from the River Vyrnwy. Immature males have the same coloration as females before maturing to dull green markings rather than yellow. Males have distinctive acutely angled rear hind margins to the wings unlike the females (far below left) in which the hind margin just gently curves around. Geoff Hall took the photo of the female seen a few days ago in the Wyre Forest -presumably emerged from the River Severn. Clubtails are known to fly some distances from where they emerge so can turn up anywhere! Speaking of which I have just seen a Golden-ringed Dragonfly in my garden in Pontesbury- no where near a fast flowing stream- just feeding in our garden meadow. There were unconfirmed sightings of this species a week or so ago, but this definitely was confirmed and is still early for this species.
