Damsels and Dragons

For the past two years, I have really become fascinated with Dragonflies and Damselflies. Their bright colours and graceful flight on a Sunny day, makes them hypnotic and relaxing to watch. 


These insects start life as aquatic nymphs, in ponds, bogs, rivers, streams and lakes, spending up to three years under water, after which they break out of their nymph cases and spend just a few weeks on the wing mating. 


Dragonflies and Damselflies are valuable predators, gobbling up small flying pests such as Mosquitoes and Midges.



Dragonflies vary in size, and can be very large indeed, such as the mighty Emperor Dragonfly at approximately 80mm in length, and a wingspan of around 110mm. Not far off the size of a small bird! Smaller one's such as the Black Darter are around 30mm long. Dragonflies rest with their wings open


Damselflies are usually much smaller than Dragonflies, with slender bodies. Damselflies rest with their wings closed. The exception is the Emerald Damselfly, which rests with it's wings open.


Despite their large size, Dragonflies and Damselflies are completely harmless to humans. They are also a valuable food source for many birds, including Sparrows and the bird of prey, The Hobby.

Hobby With Dragonfly

Sparrow with Banded Damsel

I have found the best places to see Dragonflies and Damsels, are heathland bogs and Pools. Some of the larger Damselflies such as the banded Damsel, are best seen alongside slow flowing rivers and streams.


So here is a collection of Dragonflies and Damselflies I have taken over the years. These were all found locally in Dorset. I shall keep adding to this blog, to keep record of all the different species I can find. 

A Golden Ringed Dragonfly. I took this in 2006 in my Garden, Poole.

               

Scarce Chaser 2009 At Alder Hills Nature Reserve

Calopteryx virgo - Beautiful Demoiselle Delphwood 2009

Red Damsel with Prey. Delphwood, May 2010

Emerald Downy Arne May 2010

Southern or Migrant Hawker Arne June 2010

             

Damselfly Emerging From A Nymph Case, My Pond April 2011

Red Damsel Drying out after Emerging.

Newly Emerged Red Damsel Macro

Red Damsel Fully Emerged and Ready To Fly.

                     

Red Damsel's Mating Heart. May 2011 Delphwood.

                                                


                  

Damselfly Macro. My Pond May 2011

                                   
                                             


                                           
                                           
               

 Four Spotted Chaser in Flight. Morden Bog, May 2011

                         
                                            
                            

Four Spotted Chaser Macro, Arne April 2011

                                   

Four Spotted Chaser. Arne April 2011

Female Black Tailed Skimmer Longham May 2011

                 

  Male Black Tailed Skimmer Longham Lakes May 2011

Male Broad Bodied Chaser Badbury Rings May 2011

                                        
              

Female Broad Bodied Chaser. Badbury Rings May 2011

         

Female Broad Bodied Chaser Macro. Badbury Rings May 2011

Banded Damsel. Stour Valley April 2011

                          


                          

Azure Damsels Mating. Dunyeats Hill June 2011

Male Black Tailed Skimmer. Morden Bog July 2011 

Immature Male Black Tailed Skimmer. Dunyeats Hill June 2011

Female Keeled Skimmer Morden Bog July 2011

                                   
                         

Male Emerald Damsel Morden Bog July 2011

                                             
                       

 Emerald Damsel Female. Morden Bog July 2011

                                                 

                       

Male Azure Damselfy. Dunyeats Hill June 2011

                                                   

                           

Blue Tailed Damsel. Delphwood June 2011

                           

Emperor Dragonfly Dunyeats Hill July 2011

Black Darter Dunyeats Hill July 2011

Female Common Darter Dunyeats, June 2011

Male Common Darter. Dunyeats Hill July 2011

                                                        


                                          
                              

Emperor Dragonfly Dunyeats Hill July 2011

               

Male Black Keeled Skimmer Dunyeats Hill July 2011

                         
                          


                                                           Related Links


British Dragonfly Society  http://www.british-dragonflies.org.uk/
RSPB Arne http://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/a/arne/index.aspx
Dorset For You Heathland Sites http://www.dorsetforyou.com/344550
UK Safari http://www.uksafari.com/dragonflies.htm

My Wildlife at Home Project

I have always loved wildlife. Even when I was a little girl, I was fascinated by it, inquisitive and I was a real tomboy. I was quite happy spending hours in the garden alone, watching everything, and discovering this "alien" world for myself. It has always been awe-inspiring to me, to watch everything, from the ant's amazing feats of strength, listening to the birds singing, watching the spiders wrap up their prey, to busy Bee's dancing from flower to flower. I got stung a few times, swallowed a Spider, but I learnt, and it didn't put me off!! That is just part of the story.


We all grow up, and somehow I took for granted wildlife a lot. I met my husband, we had children, and there was just never enough "time" to notice anything other than what goes on inside the family. To top that, I had a daughter who was terrified of the outdoors. She would scream hysterically at any insect or bug, even in the house, let alone outside. It was a living nightmare. 


That's life I guess, it's been pretty tough at times, and for the past 15 years, maybe more, I had drifted in and out of depression for one reason or another. Five years ago, it was serious with massive weight gain and anxiety, and for the most part, I've never spoken about it, but it totally consumed my life and I didn't step foot outside the door unless I had to.


One day, for no particular reason, I saw the light at the end of the tunnel and I was drawn to it. I fought depression myself, and I began to beat it. I lost weight, I felt great, and suddenly I began to notice and enjoy what I loved the most. The great outdoors and wildlife. It made me smile, and encouraged me to fight my demons.


I went cycling, walking, joined the RSPB and fell in love with Wildlife again. I learned so much, and it was totally and completely an essential part of my life, and I felt happier than I think I have ever felt. In addition, sharing a passion for wildlife with my daughter, and slowly she began to love wildlife like I do, and she wasn't afraid any more. It's become a real connection between us.


A year ago, disaster struck and my dog become unwell. I was unable to get out the house for weeks, and I was terrified of slipping back into depression, but wildlife kept me going at home.


In my garden I have a large family of House Sparrows. I put some seed out for them, and they visited me in thanks. Seeing them gave me a spark of happiness every day when days were dark. I have a pond, and I could sit there for a while, and watch Damsels and Dragons visiting, laying eggs and eating all the biting pests. Every now and again, frogs popped up to say hello and Newts too, sharing the reeds. Suddenly I appreciated what I already had, and how I should not take it for granted.


Sadly I lost my dog after weeks of attempting rehabilitation with him, but it made me realise I could never take for granted what I have here to enjoy, ever again. When I couldn't get out, wildlife was right here, and lifted my spirits, so I made a promise. That this year, I would focus on what I have, and making it more Wildlife friendly.


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So onto the improvements. First things first, the Pond. We inherited this pond when we moved in here. Strangely enough, the house wasn't perfect, but the pond sold it for me. It was set up for Goldfish, not wildlife.


 We first built a raised decking area with plants, logs and rocks for sheltering Newts and Frogs, and to encourage insects such as Bees. Then we built the Waterfall with slow running water, and we placed rocks to make a ramp, to make it easier for animals to climb in and out, and to help, for example Hedgehogs who might accidentally fall into the pond. The slow running Waterfall makes a good, safe Bird Bath also.

We have also made some changes to the plants in the pond. We have added some floating plants, a basket of additional marginals, and oxygenating plants on the bottom. The Marginals help to absorb excess nutrients in the water when blanket weed is a problem (it was). The floating plants help to create shelter for Dragon/Damsel/Mayflies on the wing laying eggs, and their Nymphs under water, also Frogs and Newts and their young, and to block out some of the sunlight which feeds blanket weed. The oxygenating plants provide under water shelter, as well as oxygenating the water. We have added a solar fountain to help circulate and cool the water further, especially in hot and dry weather like we have been having.


We researched wildlife friendly plants, and have put some planters and sown some Field Poppies, Cornflower Blue, and various other Seed Bearing, flowering plants to attract Butterflies, Bees, and Birds too, along with a separate bird bath and various feeders. We also added a Honeysuckle climbing plant for roosting birds that also encourages nectar drinking insects. In addition, some aromatic herbs for the kitchen! After just six days, my plants are showing signs of life. I am over-joyed.

Of course, the garden fairies are important, so those have been looked after also ;) They don't like noise ;) And to our joy, the many feeders we have put in place, have begun to feed our beloved House Sparrows, as well as attracting Blue Tits, Magpies and Pigeons so far. We have a mixture of fat balls, high protein snacks, nut's and seeds, both on the ground, and in feeders, which the birds are starting to enjoy.

It's cost us our Summer holiday this year, but every penny worth it. Wildlife was a haven for us all when things were tough. It's helped us all in so many ways, and we all love it. My daughter, who is Autistic has come on leaps and bounds. Her knowledge of Wildlife is astonishing both to us and professionals, and has become a real passion of hers, which we hope she will follow into adulthood. My youngest son is partly in charge of a little corner at school, for which he is developing a garden, growing plants. So it's really the least we could do. We shouldn't take these gorgeous creatures for granted. They all help us in their own way, even if we don't realise it. Every plant, bird, mammal, amphibian, insect and arachnid is helping us every day in their survival. They take care of us, it's a wonderful world of bio-diversity that has become an ugly word to some. But man could NOT survive if it wasn't for every species of life out there. 

Time to Make a Stand

Ok, so to some it might seem like I sound like a stuck record, but this means a lot to me and the wildlife I have the honour of seeing every day. Yes, this is yet again about dog owners of the irresponsible type.


To start off, some news of how a careless owner put their dog's life at risk, by letting him off lead with a poor recall. 


From the Bournemouth Echo;
"A BORDER collie has miraculously survived after plunging around 160 feet over cliffs at Kimmeridge" A peaceful walk at the beauty spot, between Kimmeridge and St Albans Head, soon turned into a nightmare for Chase’s owners when he suddenly disappeared from view. 

A Portland Coastguard told the Daily Echo: “It looks like he was chasing a rabbit.

“The owners had let him off the lead as they wandered along the coast path.

“Unfortunately he’s seen red while after a rabbit and has just gone straight over the top, not listening to their calls"

Spot the issue here. A poorly trained dog, ignoring it's owner's calls, chases wildlife, then falls off a cliff. It's a no brainer to me. These owners are putting their dogs at risk. Read and weep. Luckily the dog escaped death somehow, and just had a broken leg. It could have been worse.

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Now onto the next bit. Something that confuses me a bit I must admit. Maybe someone could help me out here. In nature reserves, there are many signs asking dog owners to keep their dogs on a lead. Maybe the owners are illiterate? Or maybe they are blind to the official ones? I see those signs ignored DAILY, but on the other hand, here is one that seems to be followed "almost religiously" 

I say "almost" because I did see at least one plastic bag full of dog poo left on the ground. Obviously one of the illiterate owners? Well, to be honest, with the piles of dog crap left on the ground in this place, it's fairly obvious that around 99% of owners that leave their dog crap on the ground here, can read well, as there is plenty of it. I saw a lady today with a fantastically behaved dog. He was in training to be a gun dog, and only had eyes for his owner. So imagine my shock at seeing this dog, cop a squat, and the owner saying "I have permission to leave it here" She went on to say "If there was a bin here, I would use it, but I don't fancy carrying round bags of dog poo" Well answer to that? DON'T OWN A DOG! It's a choice! Whether there are bins around or not, it's neither here nor there. Your dog, your crap! Pick it up! Is that so hard? Is it a good job that I don't have a similar attitude with my picnic rubbish? No bins.....??

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Another incident TODAY. Walking back from a lovely day watching Hobby's on an SSSI, I come across a Bull Terrier. Where was the owner? A good half mile away. She had three dogs. All trampling over the heath ILLEGALLY. This was the Bull Terrier;

And here was the owner. You will have to squint to see her. Stupid woman.

I would estimate about half a mile away. In addition to "losing" this one dog, she was quite happy to; (full zoom and crop)

Allow her other dogs to run amongst the heather and gorse, where ground nesting birds are trying to raise chicks, and where lives PROTECTED wildlife. I have reported the incident, because it is totally irresponsible, and the next bit will explain exactly why.

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A tradgedy that breaks my heart, and is putting me off from visiting rivers and lakes in general. After seeing dogs mix closely with wild and nesting birds, and being encouraged to swim with swans, mallards, ducklings, cygnets, etc etc, this is what happens.

From Bournemouth Echo;

A NESTING swan has been mauled to death by a dog on the River Stour.

The brown dog went straight for the mute swan’s neck as it sat on eggs around 100 metres down from Iford Weir, at Christchurch, according to onlooker Meryvn Rochester.

The swan’s mate has abandoned the nest following the “horrific” attack at 5.45pm on Saturday, and Mr Rochester wants dog owners to understand the importance of keeping their pets under control.

Mr Rochester, of Iford Gardens, said: “The pointer just came bounding up the path and went straight down and killed the swan, quite quickly and savagely.

“It lasted about 30 seconds. They both ended up in the water and the swan was trying to flap away.

“The swan was on a little island a few metres offshore but within a couple of bounds the dog was there.

“It was extraordinary. Feathers went flying everywhere. It was really horrific and heart wrenching.”

The dog ignored shouts to stop, he says.

A man and a woman, who also had another dog, arrived and put the animal back on a lead.

There are three deserted eggs in the nest but predators may have already snatched others.

“Swans are very loyal and tend to pair for life,” Mr Rochester said.

“The surviving swan, when it spotted the body in the water, will have tried to resuscitate the dead bird.

“It’s still in the vicinity but there’s no way one swan can hatch the eggs on their own.

“I just want to stop anything like this happening again.”

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I copied the whole article, because I need not say much more. These are all reasons I am passionate, I CARE. These places exist because of the wildlife that lives there. From the birds to the bees, the ants to the lizards, from the snakes to the gorse, from the newts to the dragonflies, they are all at risk from off lead dogs! Do something today, tomorrow or the next day, either keep your dog on a lead in these places, giving wildlife a chance, particularly in Spring and Summer, walk elsewhere, or REPORT WILDLIFE CRIME BY CARELESS OWNERS. It's the ONLY way something will be done. I don't want to be a KILL joy, I love dogs, but I don't want to see the murder of innocent wildlife. Wildlife live to survive in these places, that's THEIR home not their choice. I have no doubt these owners love their dogs, or else they wouldn't walk them, but they have a responsibility to their dogs and where they walk them. IT'S A CHOICE TO OWN A DOG.