Friday 14 April 2017

Ladies Night!

Having checked the pond again yesterday morning, I could see a female Hairy Dragonfly nymph already quite a way out of the water taking in air and hoped if the conditions were good, that she might emerge during the evening. After a day or thinking if this was going to happen, I went out again just before dark and could see she had moved up the reed and looked likely to emerge. The colours on this nymph were quite superb and looked like she was going to burst. After preparing the flask and snacks, I went and got set up early and settled in to a comfortable position. One of the signs that they are going to emerge is once they have chosen a favorable perch to emerge on, they often violently move their abdomen around to see if there is enough clearance for the dragonfly to expand its wings and abdomen. This can be a worrying time as they can often fall back into the water and if not quickly attached again to something, run the risk of drowning. With the lovely colours on this female showing through, this gave me a chance to capture this movement of the abdomen and after a while, she became settled and prepared to emerge. This waiting game can either be quite quick or quite a while but eventually she started to emerge and I was able to capture the emergence at every stage again. Every emergence is different and you just hope that the exuviae is connected well enough not to fall off as this would be fatal. After spending a couple of hours outside and the female Hairy Dragonfly nymph successfully emerged and with the wings pumped up, I made my retreat indoors and hoped she would still be there early morning for a few more shots. I was again up early and straight outside with the camera where she was beautifully coloured up next to the exuviae. I took a few more shots before potting her up and driving to the site I caught the nymph where I released her next to the waters edge. Later this morning I went out with the family and on return around midday, had a quick look at the pond and was surprised to see another female Hairy Dragonfly had emerged and also 1 Variable Damselfly. After some lunch, I potted them up and again made the short drive where they were released successfully. I think the other two Hairy Dragonfly nymphs in the pond are both males and I would like to photograph the whole emergence of the male as I missed my chance last year. They are both in the shallows waiting so hopefully the next couple of nights will deliver this challenge for me. 











Emerging Hairy Dragonfly (female) 

Hairy Dragonfly (female) with Exuviae

12 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Many thanks Wilma for your visit and comment, much appreciated.

      Delete
  2. Magic moments Marc,I feel Sue and I should camp in your Garden,only joking.
    We are planning our next trip into Somerset,around May time,so fingers crossed we should be rewarded with Dragons.
    John.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Indeed they are and I can't get enough of them. Hopefully if you get some nice weather in May, you should get a good number of species on the wing.

      Delete
  3. Absolutely stunning effect of the Hairy Dragonfly Marc.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Many thanks Bob. It's been a long wait through the winter to wait for these so I'm going to make the most while I can of one of my favourite dragonflies.

      Delete
  4. Superb Marc. Fascinating to hear that they move about to make sure they have that clearance for when they emerge. I've seen quite a few individuals over the years, dragons & damsels, that have had damaged or bent abdomens or wings still close to the exuvia. A sad sight, as you know their fate.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Many thanks Johnny. I've seen a few myself which is why this thrashing of the abdomen is so vital to do. If you've spent a few years under the water, it makes sense to get this absolutely right.

      Delete
  5. True class Marc. Possibly the best yet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Many thanks Bob for your kind words. I cannot say enough what a thrill this is to watch and photograph the whole emergence.

      Delete
  6. More brilliant work, Marc, and a delight to behold. Thank you!

    It still seems to be a bit earlie for the odonata in these parts. I don't suppose this cold spell is going to help either - frosts now predicted!

    Have a great weekend - - - Richard

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Many thanks Richard, appreciated. Hopefully the forecast will be wrong and we will not get any frosts. Quite a few species should be on the wing shortly.

      Delete