Four-spotted chaser (Peter Wood) |
At the start of June we are already into the peak season and the list of species seen to date is remarkable. Of the big, glamorous species, we have seem emperors, hairy dragonflies, Norfolk hawkers, four-spotted chasers, scarce chasers, broad bodied chasers and black-tailed skimmers. Brown hawkers, southern hawkers, ruddy darters and common darters are yet to come, as well as the migrant hawkers which arrive in July plus any surprise visits by rarer migrants. Our regular annual list contains over 12 species, and that's not counting damselflies.
Emperor (Peter Wood) |
Damselflies are smaller than dragonflies, but they are every bit as beautiful. They hold their wings folded along the body when resting while dragonflies hold their wings out at flat to either side. This year we have seen at least eight species of damselfly with more to come in late summer.
Norfolk hawker (Peter Wood) |
Almost every year brings us a new species, the most recent being willow emerald damselflies and our star attraction, the Norfolk hawker.
With British insect life generally in steep decline, the value of nature reserves like Paxton Pits that provide a chemical-free haven for them can’t be overestimated.