Whilst at Oare Marshes a few days ago looking for the Dainty Damselflies, I spent some time in an area where last year, I found a few Scarce Emerald Damselfly. With the sun out and temperatures warming up, I soon disturbed one from the reeds on the waters edge and then another and another. I ended seeing at least 15 Scarce Emerald Damselfly in a 10 metre stretch which looked like they were quite newly emerged. I'm pretty confident if I had been able to check the other sides of the pool that there would have been quite a few more but It's nice to know they are doing well here. I wished I had worn my wellies as I could have spent some time looking for exuviae but I will have to pencil this into the diary for next year to look. As the morning warmed up, a few of them left the safety of the reeds and posed nearby on the grasses which allowed me to be able to scrutinise them and note the males with their two squares on S2 and their incurved anal appendages. The females showed their thicker abdomen than Emerald Damselfly and the ovipositer just reaching beyond S10. I'm hoping I can get back in the next week or so to see them in their mature colours and see better numbers of the Dainties. A thoroughly enjoyable morning.
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