Butterflies & Dragonflies

Some photos from June of Butterflies  and Dragonflies from various visits around the local area some nice sunny days helped with the emergence of some new species for the year . No sign of any Broad Bodied Chasers as yet , I probably hear about them when it's to late , a visit to Belasis Bridge to see the Banded Demoiselle was a literal wash out with the river running high and fast the only thing noted was a Crayfish hanging on to the vegetation trying not to get swept away


11-6-14

 My first and so far only Painted Lady in the front garden in company with three Red Admirals

First Common Darter of the year with two just emerged



10-6-2014

 No idea as yet what this is jut caught my eye

 Green Veined White on Comfrey

 Four Spot Chaser there seemed to be a lot in the grass that had newly emerged  and could be approached closely with care but always with grass in the way

 I like this species it has spread rapidly in the last few years and is now very common with large numbers on suitable ponds

 A very good show of  Northern Marsh Orchid this year these two especially vigorous

 I was photographing another 4SC it flew off then I saw this Exuviae  surprised it was so low to the ground and about a foot and a half from the water , I had assumed they always went up a rush stalk etc: but perhaps on dull days they come up in the thick grass so as not to be easy prey if emergence is delayed , pure speculation on my part  but it was odd that despite 30+ seen this was the only Exuviae seen and I do have a good look for them

These eggs are on Salix no idea what they are seem to rather exposed still there a few days later

Seeing more Speckled Woods now but not as many as previous years or as early

Skippers starting to come out in numbers now

Wall Browns in good numbers in the right habitat

Some more unidentified insects gathering to mate

6-6-2014

Damselfly Exuviae always to far in the water to collect for ID

Anyone that's takes photos of Dragonflies must take hundreds of shots of 4SC  they land nearby inviting you to get there best side , take off and re land in a different pose

What's not to like about these , a sunny day at a pond teaming with life a camera in hand magic!!!

Nothing better than a bloom of flowers , Lesser Spearwort, Ragged Robin, and Northern Marsh Orchid

Another collection of Insects

 

 

Dragons "n " Spiders

In search of dragonflies ,at least two things are essential location and weather , and as you probably figured out the weather can be a problem, Dragonflies need the warmth of the Sun to enable them to fly and somewhere to come together to breed so a nice pool of clean well vegetated water that is not likely to dry out  is easier to find , but frequent visits are required to find out if Dragonflies have found it suitable to there needs , so another visit to Great Park development site a day of cool temperatures when the sun was not out so only intermittent activity the smaller damselflies will just drop down into the grass and I'm not sure if they just hang around or actively crawl around in search of prey such as Midges , while the larger Dragonflies will fly to nearby trees and either hang facing the direction of the Sun and wait till it warms them again or go underneath leaves for shelter.  

This Four Spot Chaser rested briefly in the grass before flying out of sight 

Skipper

 Not sure what  this is ,very common here could have come in with imported top soil, Edit ,Cut Leaved Cranesbill

 Small Tortoiseshell

 Red Admiral resting on Stinging Nettle

 Another Four Spot Chaser a plaer individual

 Azure Damselfly

15 Spot Yellow ladybird less than half the size of Seven Spot

 Female Gloworm

 A Common Wasp near its nest burrow all that soil to it's right has been excavated from the hole top of photo

Another photo of the first Four Spot Chaser 

 The following Spiders where a remarkable sight there where over 100 individuals spread over the warm sheltered rocks at the time I had no idea what was going on I thought there where two species involved I figured these where carrying egg sacs and some that did not have them I thought where males but smaller black individuals with club like feelers where gently reaching out till they touched the females a very delicate operation.
Some inquiries revealed these are Pardosa  Wolf Spiders so named as it was thought they hunted in packs. I think these could be Pardosa amentata the females do indeed carry the egg sac around (some species leave them underground and bring them out in the sun for warmth)attached to their spinners and when ready to hatch the female tears open the sac and the young climb onto her back and stay there till there next body change . The male has club like palps that actually carry sperm and the action noted was the male trying to mate with the female via her epigyne located under the front of the body.


I only wish I had a decent video close-up of the interaction still not sure why there was so many around I will check them out again and try and find a female  with the young on her back 

 Apparently some species will prey on the young Spiderlings ,, I wonder what these three are up to !!!

 Male lower he gently reaches out with his palps perhaps to see how receptive the female is

 Most of the females  seemed to be carrying sacs

Female 

Sunny Days

A sunny day looking for Dragonflies and Butterflies Meadow Browns and Ringlets in huge numbers along with Common Blue , only Damselflies on the pool, and a single Speckled Wood  was a new record, found another 20 or so spikes of Bee Orchids , I wonder if it is a good year for this species, Common Spotted Orchids also in good numbers.

 Small Skipper ?

 Ringlet

 Common Blue

 Bee Orchid

 Bee Orchid in the tall grass, nice healthy tall specimens

 Azure damselflies the dominant species but also , Blue-tailed  & Large red

Meadow Browns in the hundreds these two coupled in mating

Dragons at Last 17-6-10

What a fab day Thursday was weather wise anyway, eventually caught up with some dragonflies as opposed to damselflies ,in the form of two Four spot chasers & Two Emperors it took ages to get some photosLarge red damselflies in tandem
Four Spot chaser
Four Spot Chaser
First Meadow Brown of the year I think ?
This Emperor flew back and forwards in font of me just teasing me, when it suddenly stopped ,swung around to drop onto a Butterfly which it took into the vegetation to eat, it dropped what was left (wings) and took off, I looked for the bits but with no luck.

I think I have deleted some better shots of this ,while in the field, something I don't normally do but every spare card I had was full because some idiot had not cleared them, will have to try and rescue them .
Emperor at rest with an Azure which tried to land on its wing,just shows how big they are as Azures seem large when thats all you have to look at. Still have not got my Dragonfly Blog online yet, will probably start with some shots of these Dragons.
Nice show of Common Spotted Orchid