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Shropshire Dragonfly Watch BlogKeeping an eye on the dragonflies flying in Shropshire

Common Darter male

The purpose of this blog is to keep dragonfly enthusiasts up to date with dragonfly activity throughout the season. This way we should all know first hand what’s on the wing in Shropshire.

 

All are very welcome to be part of this seasonal diary. Get in touch via the  contact form with sightings and photographs so I can post them on the blog. Even if you’re new to dragonflies and not sure what you have photographed please send it in and get involved in the 2025 Shropshire Dragonfly Watch.

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Beautiful photos from Cramer Gutter…

Gary Crowder has sent in some stunning photos from Cramer Gutter in South Shropshire. A Beautiful Demoiselle (left) living up to it's name and Broad-bodied Chaser (below left) and Common Hawker (below right). The females…
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July 11, 2019
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Lesser Emperor in Shropshire!

Stephen Barlow (who is an excellent photographer!) has just managed to get proof of Lesser Emperor seen yesterday at Alderford Lake. Stephen has observed this species at other locations in previous years and knew as…
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July 8, 2019
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Brown Hawkers emerging…

Jim Almond has sent in these great shots of a teneral  male Brown Hawker seen in the meadow near Venus Pool. Light brown/milky eyes and glassy wings are typical of recently emerged individuals which are still…
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July 5, 2019
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Golden-Ringed Dragonflies on the Long Mynd

Jan Shields has been out in the sunshine at Carding Mill Valley enjoying the spectacular Golden- ringed Dragonflies. The photos show the striking green eyes coming together at a point and also the beautifully waisted…
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July 4, 2019
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Watch out for migrant species!

Keep an eye out for unusual migrant species in Shropshire. The recent weather has produced some unconfirmed (as yet) sightings of Red Veined Darter and individuals are being seen in neighbouring counties. Please let us…
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July 1, 2019
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Hawkers on the wing…

No photos yet, but confirmed sightings from Stephen Barlow on Whixall Moss of Brown Hawker and a teneral Common Hawker. I also was overtaken (!) on my bike by a Brown Hawker this last Saturday…
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July 1, 2019
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3 more species on the wing…

A quick reminder from the weather that it is actually June (!) and all sorts of things take to the wing; Steven Barlow reports female Emperor ovipositing at Whixall Moss and Black Darters being seen…
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June 24, 2019
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Black-tailed Skimmer on the wing…

Somehow between downpours we managed a Biolinks recording day on Tuesday at Whixall Moss and Alderford Lake. At Whixall we were treated to 8 species including White-faced Darters, numerous White-legged Damselflies and a good number…
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June 20, 2019
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Dodging the showers…

Stephen Barlow and I have both been dodging showers and floods up at Whixall Moss and independently both spotted the first Emerald Damselflies of the season on Friday 14th. Stephen took this pic of a…
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June 17, 2019
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Doing lunch…

Paul Spear has sent in some fabulous mealtime shots of a female Demoiselle feasting on White-legged Damselfly. The photos not only show what quick work the Demoiselle made of it's prey, but also highlight the…
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June 11, 2019
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Dragonflies in town…

Gary Crowder has been in the heart of Shrewsbury witnessing more Common Clubtails emerging from the River Severn. This male (left) makes a striking contrast to the muddy background. The yellow coloration looks more like…
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June 11, 2019
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Close eye on Clubtails…

Jan Shields has been keeping a close eye on this female Common Clubtail seen on the River Severn at Frankwell. Now is the time to see this rare species often emerging below the fishing platforms…
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May 29, 2019
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Emerging at Coalbrookdale…

Paul Spear has been enjoying the dragons and damsels at Coalbrookdale and captured these lovely shots of an emergent White-legged Damselfly. The exuvia below is really quite distinctive for many reasons, one being the distinctive…
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May 28, 2019
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Unidentified early hawkers…

There have been a number of fleeting glimpses of 'early hawkers' up at Whixall Moss recently. Though unidentified there is a possibility that these could be Hairy Dragonflies. This species is very rare in Shropshire…
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May 28, 2019
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Clubtails on the River Severn…

The first Shropshire based Clubtails have been seen on the River Severn at Coalbrookdale by Paul Spear. Five were spotted on Sunday and not only has Paul sent in some lovely pics of a female,…
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May 20, 2019
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Four more species take to the skies…

It seems Whixall Moss is leading the way again with first sightings. As my pond in Shrewsbury is only just getting underway with good numbers of Large Red Damselflies and Four-spotted Chasers emerging, up at…
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May 16, 2019
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The joy of exuviae!

I was just sauntering passed Radbrook Pond on Sunday when I found these 2 exuviae. The larger of the 2 is Red-eyed Damselfly- a distinctively large exuviae with bands visible on the caudal lamellae (below…
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May 6, 2019
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Azure Damselfly on the wing

Stephen Barlow has seen and photographed this female Azure Damselfly at Whixall Moss on Saturday 4th May. Stephen also reported good numbers of Large Red Damselflies present in the more sheltered spots and 5 more Four-spotted…
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May 6, 2019
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3 species on the wing at Whixall

Stephen Barlow had an excellent early haul of 3 different species on Whixall Moss on Bank Holiday Monday. An immature male White-faced Darter is seen here on the far left showing yellow markings which will…
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April 23, 2019
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Good Friday good for Large Reds

Hot on the heels of the first sightings, Large Reds were seen at both Attingham Park (by Paul Spear) and Whixall Moss (by Stephen Barlow) on Good Friday. Paul took the photo shown here of…
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April 23, 2019
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Large Reds Launch in Shropshire!

And we're off! Maria Justamond has seen the first Large Red Damselflies emerging in Shropshire at Upton Magna yesterday- Wednesday 17th April. Several were seen and I'm sure that with the amazing forecast we should see much…
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April 18, 2019

Species recorded in 2025…

Large Red Damselfly

5th April

Common Blue Damselfly

22nd April

White-faced Darter

24th April

Four-spotted Chaser

24th April

Broad-bodied Chaser

27th April

Azure Damselfly

28th April

Blue-tailed Damselfly

28th April

Beautiful Demoiselle

28th April

Common Clubtail

5th May

Banded Demoiselle

6th May

Red-eyed Damselfly

16th May

White-legged Damselfly

16th May

Emperor Dragonfly

16th May

Black-tailed Skimmer

19th May

Norfolk Hawker

21st May

Variable Damselfly

21st May

Golden-ringed Dragonfly

29th May

Emerald Damselfly

30th May

Downy Emerald Dragonfly

31st May

Scarce Blue-tailed Damselfly

4th June

Common Darter

6th June

Black Darter

11th June

Common Hawker

13th June

Ruddy Darter

14th June

Keeled Skimmer

14th June

Brown Hawker

15th June

Southern Hawker

28th June

Small Red-eyed Damselfly

29th June

Migrant Hawker

24th July

Willow Emerald Damselfly 

30th July

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