Here be dragons!!

Plus a few damsels...

Emperor Dragonfly female

The intention in this posting is to do something a little different: bring together photos of the different species of dragonflies and damselflies that I have photographed.

If any are misidentified I hope any reader who spots such errors will let me know. Let's see what we've got to show you...

Above: female emperor dragonfly ovipositing at North Cave Wetlands YWT - with damselflies in attendance!

I'm going to start with the damselflies. Of the 17 species regularly seen in Britain I have photographed 5: azure; common blue; blue-tailed; red-eyed and emerald.

Azure damselfly

My identification tip: a secondary, truncated stripe on the side of the thorax.

Azure Damselfly

Azure Damselfly

Azure Damselfly female

Azure damselflies

Common blue damselfly

My identification tip: no secondary stripe on side of thorax!!

Common Blue Damselfly

Common Blue Damselflies

A damsel in distress...

Blue Damselfly being eaten by spider

Common Blue Damselfly

Immature

Damselfly immature

Common Blue Damselfly

Damselfly

Blue-tailed damselfly

My identification tip: penultimate segment blue: remainder of main body black including final segment

Blue-tailed Damselfly

Blue-tailed Damselfly

Red-eyed damselfly

My identification tip: red eyes!! Although my only current photo shows a female with rather more brownish eyes!

Red-eyed Damselfly

Emerald damselfly

My identification tip: green main body. Rests with wings outstretched unlike all the previous damsels

Emerald Damselfly

Emerald Damselflies

Emerald Damselfly

The dragonflies

Of 23 resident species I have only photographed 6 - so some way to go yet!

Common darter

My identification tips: body not waisted towards the middle as in ruddy darter. Common darter has yellow striped legs.

Common Darter

Common Darter Common Darter female

Common Darter

Common Darter?

Ruddy darter

My identification tip: 'waisted' main body; all black legs. Red coloration variable - often similar to some common darters.

Ruddy Darter

Ruddy Darter

Ruddy Darter

Ruddy Darter

Emperor dragonfly

My identification tip: size; green-sided thorax; black dorsal stripe

Emperor Dragonfly

Emperor Dragonfly

Emperor Dragonfly

Four-spotted chaser

My identification tip: yellow spots along tapering abdomen; middle spot on each wing.

Four-spotted Chaser Four-spotted Chasers Four-spotted Chaser Four-spotted Chaser Four-spotted Chaser

Migrant hawker

Migrant Hawker

Migrant Hawker

Migrant Hawker

Brown hawker

My identification tip: amber wings; brown body. Unmistakable?!

Currently my favourite dragonfly [emerald being my favourite damsel] - I hope you like these images.

Brown Hawker

Brown Hawker

Brown Hawker

Flight shots are not impossible but a decent image is often trawled from among many failures! Here's a few of my efforts...

Emperor

Dragonfly sp.

Four-spotted chaser ovipositing as it hovered.

Dragonfly sp

All four-spotted chasers. I really like the first of these. Like a little combat fighter plane on a sortie!

Dragonfly sp Dragonfly sp Dragonfly sp

Where?

The brown hawker was at Heysham in Lancashire, in the little reserve by the nuclear power station. The migrant hawkers were at Blacktoft Sands RSPB, East Yorkshire. The emerald damselflies were at Saltholme RSPB, Middlesbrough. Apart from that nearly all the others as far as I recall were taken where I take lots of my insect photos at North Cave Wetlands YWT. Lenses: for the dragonflies often my Canon 400mm DO; for the damselflies my 100mm Canon macro L-series lens.