Another glorious photo of a recently emerged Four-spotted Chaser has been sent in by Stephen Barlow. I’ve zoomed in on a couple of areas just to enjoy the finer detail. Below left you can see the black patches of pigment at the base of the hind wings…a diagnostic feature shared by all chasers in the UK. Also noticeable is just how hairy these insects are, presumably equipping them well to be an early spring species (especially in a spring like this)! Below right we get a lovely view of the yellow cross veins on the wings and the darker longitudinal veins. If you look carefully the reflected light also enables you to see the wing is not a flat structure, but is more ‘pleated’ rather like a paper fan.