Dragon flies

[leon-1]

My entimology is not what it used to be, this is not the best of pictures as I had to take it once it had alighted (too fast to take pictures of in flight). So this was taken free standing at a range of about 25 meters.

S I know it is a Dragonfly, but does anyone know which one. I have had these and ones which are blue in colour whizzing around the Garden for a fair few months. You can tell by the size of the rest of the kit this is actually smaller than the real thing, I would say that the body size is more than four inches in length (from head to the tip of the abdomen).

 

[M@rk]

That looks like a female southern hawker the males are bluer.

 

[leon-1]

Thanks Mark, when you say bluer do you mean overall shade heading towards blue or that they have actuall blue bits on them

 

[leon-1]

Thanks Mark, I have just had a bit of a google on "southern hawker" and came acroos the british dragonfly societies page.

I think you hit the nail on the head, once again many thanks.

Does anyone else see these or others on a regular basis??

Having done a little checking it would appear that one of the damselflies that we have in the garden is a southern damselfly which is quite rare.

 

[andyn]

Hi Leon - Its the same as the one that attacked me the other day....ok i must stop saying that it attacked me...
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=8119

Likewise it was a southern hawker and apparently they are quite common in the south. I identified it from http://www.dragonflysoc.org.uk/home.htm not sure if this is the same site you are refering too, but it has some interesting information in there.

 

[leon-1]

Hi Leon - Its the same as the one that attacked me the other day....ok i must stop saying that it attacked me...
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=8119

Likewise it was a southern hawker and apparently they are quite common in the south. I identified it from http://www.dragonflysoc.org.uk/home.htm not sure if this is the same site you are refering too, but it has some interesting information in there.

Yes Andy that is the site, it is also how I managed to identify the southern damselfly, luckily they are in my area.

They are quite a frightening creature when they come belting at you at full throttle with thier wings humming. They normally either fly straight past or turn at the last minute, I've even had one stop dead in front of me and just look at me with those big eyes (well that's how it seems).

 

[bloodline]

I saw some that I think are the same yesterday,know I know what they are called! lets hope the sunshine lasts and we see them for a bit longer.

 

[spamel]

I see large ones here in Germany quite often, they do seem to fly right at you don't they!! I remember Bill Oddie saying that the difference between a dragonfly and damselfly is that a damselfly can fold its wings down its body when it has landed, whereas a dragonfly's wings stay outwards.

 

[leon-1]

I am quite lucky I have a little pond in the Garden and along with the newts waterboatmen and the like you can see the Dragonfly Nymphs in there as well (not at the moment though).

Hadn't heard Bill Oddie say that, but it is quite a good one to remeber, cheers