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It's December so welcome to the 2023 featuring a different species each day for 24 days. We start with a Southern Migrant Hawker. A fairly recent arrival in the UK; this one was at in July. They like ditches with very little water, even if they dry out in summer. They're huge compared to most other UK species.

Day 2 of the 2023 and today we have a Keeled Skimmer, a classic species of bogs and wet heaths throughout the UK. This one was at the wonderful reserve at Bystock Pools in August.

Day 3 of the 2023 Today's photo is a Common Clubtail. Despite the name they're not at all common. They like large, slow-flowing rivers. This one was by the Thames at Goring in late May. Despite the bright colouring they can be hard to spot when hiding like this.

Day 4 of the 2023 Time for our first and it's the Large Red, which is generally the earliest to emerge each year in April. This one was at the great reserve Meadows, in early June.

Day 5 of the 2023 . Brown Hawker is a very fast-flying species which doesn't settle often so I find it very hard to photograph. Except when a female is laying eggs, as here at the fantastic in in July.

Day 6 of the 2023 . One of our commonest species, the Blue-tailed Damselfly. This was at in in July, but there are probably some at the pond in your local park.

Day 7 of the 2023 . Common Darter is a very common species in late summer & autumn. In sheltered places they will last into November if it's sunny; there may even be a few now if you're near the south coast. This one was at in August.

Day 8 of the 2023 . The White-legged Damselfly is a particularly beautiful with wide white legs & intricate patterning. It avoids ponds preferring slow-flowing rivers. This one was by the at in June.

Day 9 of the 2023 . Common Emerald . This is a newly-emerged male, with bright green colouring, no blue patches yet and the wing spots still very pale. Sadly these aren't as common in the UK as they once were. In the rest of Europe this would be called Common Spreadwing rather than Common Emerald. At Meadows in June.

Day 10 of the 2023 . It's a Sunday in Advent so I'll post my favourite species, the Banded Demoiselle. The female is bright green, the males have patterned wings and make display flights over the water to impress her. Beside the at in June.

Day 11 of the 2023 . Four-spotted Chaser is common, bulky and males are fond of fighting over ponds. Which makes them great to watch and a frequent food-source for hobbies. They also mate in flight, during which they're joined into a circle, with the female flying upside down and backwards. It's quite a sight. This male was at Meadows in June.

Day 12 of the 2023 . Azure is very common and lives almost everywhere in the UK. The males are one of two common species that are almost entirely bright blue. This mating pair was at my local park in in June.

Day 13 of the 2023 . Migrant Hawker is our commonest large species in the autumn, sometimes feeding in large numbers at the edge of woodlands. This female was at Lakes in October.

Day 14 of the 2023 . Common Blue is one of two UK damselfly species which are very common and have males which are very blue. In really good spots you may see them flying in swarms. This one was at Common National Nature Reserve in August.

Day 15 of the 2023 . Broad-bodied Chaser is an easy species to spot in early summer - they're large, they like to sit in the open to sunbathe and males are bright blue. They're often the first species to find a new pond, if it's large enough for them. This one was in the in June.

Day 16 of the 2023 . Willow Emerald is a new species to the UK in the last 20 years. It's longer & thinner than the Common Emerald and flies later in the summer. This male at the wonderful in September. They have spread across the UK quite rapidly, starting from Suffolk, now as far west as Oxford & as far north as the Humber

Day 17 of the 2023 . Delving back into the past to find a pink species for the third Sunday of advent. Violet Dropwing doesn't occur in the UK - this was in in 2016 at the Villa Ada park. They are an African species which is spreading north through southern Europe in recent years but is still a long way from reaching us.

Day 18 of the 2023 . It looks very like the two common species with blue males, but Southern Damselfly is one of our rarest species. This one was in the , a stronghold for them, in June.

Peter Sketch

Day 19 of the 2023 . Norfolk Hawker. Also known as Green-eyed Hawker, but don't tell our Norfolk county recorder that! This one at in July but they're now quite widespread outside too - they have been quite a conservation success story in recent years.

Day 20 of the 2023 . Small Red-eyed is one of two UK species with red eyes and blue tails. Both species are often seen sitting on vegetation on the surface of a pond or ditch. It arrived here in 1999 and has spread across most of England & parts of Wales. This one at motorway services in August.

Day 21 of the 2023 . Scarce Emerald looks very like Common Emerald. The eyes are brighter blue and it's a bit more chunky looking. There are also some more subtle but specific & reliable differences if you know what to look for. It's confined to eastern parts of the UK - this one at in July.

Day 22 of the 2023 . Black-tailed Skimmers are often seen sunbathing on the ground or other flat surfaces. This one was on a boardwalk over the bog at Common National Nature Reserve in August.

If you're enjoying the , why not consider joining the British Dragonfly Society? It's £20 a year in the UK, or £25 overseas due to postage costs. Or you can sign up for our email newsletter completely free. british-dragonflies.org.uk

British Dragonfly SocietyBritish Dragonfly Society - British Dragonfly Society

Day 23 of the 2023 . Small Red damselfly looks quite like the Large Red you may have in your garden pond. It's smaller & the legs are pink not black. It lives in boggy areas and isn't a generalist like the Large Red. This mating pair was at the great in August.

Day 24 of the 2023 . Ruddy Darter looks rather like Common Darter, the most obvious differences being darker colour and black legs. Also doesn't fly as late into the autumn. Like Common Darter they live pretty much everywhere in the UK. This one in September at near .

After 24 days of my photos for the 2023 here's someone else's picture. E H Shepard's famous image of a dragonfly surveyor in Ashdown Forest recording a Banded Demoiselle. Happy Christmas to those who celebrate, happy holidays to those who don't and happy dragonfly-watching in 2024 to one and all.