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Peter Sketch

It's December so welcome to the 2022 featuring a different species each day for 24 days. We start with a Common Clubtail. Not at all common in the UK and until this year I'd never got a photo. So I went on a British Dragonfly Society guided dragonfly walk at and saw several. They like large, slow-flowing rivers.

Peter Sketch

Day 2 of the 2022 - today we have the aptly-named Emperor, the common, large blue & green dragonflies that often dominate all but the smallest UK ponds in high summer. Here a female is laying eggs at Meadows in June.

A large dragonfly sat on a leaf on the surface of a pond, her abdomen curved so its tip is under water.
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Peter Sketch

Day 3 of the 2022 - this tiny was the highlight of my year - Dainty Damselfly may look much like the very-common Azure but it's extremely rare in the UK with only a handful of sites, none of them on public land. Thanks to Bird Observatory who organised guided walks to see them.

Peter Sketch

I broke the thread so here's a quick repost of day 4 of the 2022 . This beauty is a White-faced Darter. They like boggy places. The UK population is mainly in Scotland; it's extremely rare in northern England and absent from the south. This one was at the only site in , right on the border at Fenn's, Whixall & Bettisfield Mosses NNR.

Peter Sketch

Day 5 of the 2022 . Small Red is smaller and redder than the Large Red which is familiar in gardens. It sticks to wild, boggy places, such as here at the wonderful reserve at Pools.

Peter Sketch

Day 6 of the 2022 . Common Darter is a late-summer species which lasts well into autumn. I usually see one or two in November. This one was at in August. It's the commonest of our red species, quite similar to the others but you can spot the differences easily enough once you get your eye in.

Peter Sketch

Day 7 of the 2022 . Norfolk Hawker, also known as Green-eyed Hawker for obvious reasons. It's spread beyond recently, but this one was at the wonderful reserve near in June.

Peter Sketch

Day 8 of the 2022 . These two are Azure , which are one of two very common blue species. They're mating, so about to get slightly more common... At Meadows in June.

Peter Sketch

Day 9 of the 2022 . The Willow Emerald is a recent arrival in the UK which is spreading west and north quite rapidly. Longer and thinner than our other emerald damselfly species. It lays its eggs into tree branches overhanging ditches, our only species that does that. This one at in August.

Peter Sketch

If you're enjoying the pictures in the , why not sign up for the British Dragonfly Society free monthly email newsletter which includes lots of useful info. Go to british-dragonflies.org.uk/ and scroll down to the "follow" button to sign up.

British Dragonfly SocietyBritish Dragonfly Society - British Dragonfly Society
Peter Sketch

Day 10 of the 2022 . My favourite dragonfly or is whichever one I happen to be looking at at that precise moment, but my favourite at other times is Banded Demoiselle. Watching the males' mating displays is a signature of summer by a river. These (male left, female right) at in in June.

Peter Sketch

Day 11 of the 2022 . The Four-spotted Chaser is common in early summer and distinctive with its golden colour and spotted wings. They're very active, hunting and defending territories. This one at @RSPBEngland in June.

Peter Sketch

Day 12 of the 2022 is a delve into the archives. Variable looks extremely similar to the more common Azure. This was my first one, at almost a decade ago. Ham Wall is famous for its starling flocks in winter but is also great for dragonflies in summer.

Peter Sketch

Day 13 of the 2022 . Southern Migrant Hawker, aka Blue-eyed Hawker, arrived in the UK a few years ago and is spreading, but still mainly around the Thames Estuary. This one was in , , last July.

Peter Sketch

Day 14 of the 2022 . Ruddy Darter looks quite like Common Darter, especially the females. Males are very bright red and have a "waist" in the abdomen. This one was at Meadows in August.

Peter Sketch

Day 15 of the 2022 . The Common Blue is very blue, and very common. In some places you may encounter swarms of them. This was at the orchid nature reserve at , in the Cotswold Water Park, in June. The CWP is a great place for this species.

Peter Sketch

Day 16 of the 2022 . Scarce Chaser is the least common of our three chaser species. Unlike the others they like slow-flowing rivers rather than ponds. This one was hiding among nettles during a British Dragonfly Society guided walk at , by the River in , in May.

Peter Sketch

Day 17 of the 2022 . Today we're back at Meadows for Common Emerald , which sadly is getting rather less common in the UK but is still quite widespread. This pair have mated and are about to start laying eggs.

Peter Sketch

Day 18 of the 2022 . Probably our most spectacular species, the Golden-ringed Dragonfly. It patrols streams in moors and bogs. When it's resting, the colouring can make it surprisingly hard to spot. This one was on in August.

Peter Sketch

Day 19 of the 2022 . Blue-tailed is one of our commonest species. Be warned - there are other relatively-common species which also have blue tails. Females come in a variety of colour patterns which can be confusing for beginners. These were at in , but they can be seen anywhere in the UK.

Peter Sketch

Day 20 of the 2022 . White-legged is a bit bigger than most of our damselflies. It likes the edges of slow-flowing rivers. This was on the at in July; it's quite young and its pale blue colour hasn't fully developed yet.

Peter Sketch

If you're enjoying the pictures in the , you may like to consider joining the British Dragonfly Society. Only £20 per year, with discounts for joint memberships. Details on the website: british-dragonflies.org.uk/mem

British Dragonfly SocietyBecome A Member - British Dragonfly Society
Jill Orme

@petersketch My first also was at Ham Wall, a couple of years ago. I was ridiculously pleased, because we don't seem to have them in Worcestershire.

Sisyphus with a Hat

@petersketch wow, I posted a very similar looking damselfly yesterday- but that one was from Saskatchewan, Canada, and is called a Boreal Bluet!

Peter Sketch

@louisffourie Enallagma and Coenagrion do look extremely similar. We only have one Enallagma in the UK, E. cyathigerum which is our commonest blue species and we just call Common Blue. Our other blue species are Coenagrion genus, which does have a few species in North America but is mainly in Europe. Your Boreal Bluet looks almost identical to our Common Blue, to my eyes. british-dragonflies.org.uk/spe

British Dragonfly SocietyCommon Blue Damselfly - British Dragonfly SocietyOne of the most common damselflies in the UK. Male: blue and black with a mushroom/button shaped mark on segment 2 (below the wing base). Female: black and either blue or dull green with a thistle shaped mark on segment 2 (below the wing base).     Click on an image to enlarge it.  
revereche

@petersketch "Very common"?? That damselfly will have you know those are fighting words

Peter Sketch

@revereche I'd best be careful, there's a lot more of them than of me...

revereche

@petersketch And the world's most successful predator after all....

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