The Hairy Dragonfly Nymph

I made a visit yesterday over to Nethergong campsite to see if I could find any dragonfly and damselfly nymphs and I was hoping for one species in particular, the Hairy Dragonfly nymph. I spent about and hour walking around where I found c20 Damselfly nymphs, most Azure Damselfly I think and also 1 probable Broad bodied Chaser nymph. After countless dips with the net I finally caught my prize which I nearly missed in the weed in the net. Unlike some other species which are clearly noticeable and move around, the Hairy Dragonfly nymph says still and folds its legs under its body and can look just like a bit of wood. Thankfully I noticed it and with permission of the owners, I brought the nymph home for a photo session in the tank. Having cleaned the tanks out a few days earlier and prepared some water, I spent some time this afternoon photographing the nymph with various settings and varying degrees of success. I used manual mode with the speed set to 250, ISO 400 and f8-f16 with camera flash used. The results are quite pleasing but hopefully throughout the winter, I can sort the backgrounds out and capture a few species in the tank. I do like the idea of not having to go out to photograph this event and with the added bonus of warm drinks available, this make for a pleasant setting. Its always nice to watch and photograph events that we do not ordinarily see in the wild and try to learn something on their identification and behaviour. The Hairy Dragonfly nymph was returned unharmed to continue its journey into becoming a dragonfly.  

Hairy Dragonfly Nymph