Empress

A blue flash streaked across the pond the other day. A male Emperor. His antics eventually attracted a female who used the pond vegetation to rest upon as she laid her eggs. Future generations in the making.

 

Empress

While looking over the wildflower test patch I put in at Falcon Cottage I got buzzed by a Dragonfly. It was a female Emperor, or should it be Empress? She immediately began egg laying in the pond.
Sitting on the vegetation she lowered her abdomen into the water and deposited her small white cargo; individually sticking the eggs to the stalks of the plants. Even before she had finished another female came and joined her.

Rescued

Walking down the landward side of the dunes at the weekend I was surprised to see a floundering Dragonfly. It was ‘swimming’ in a small puddle. We rescued it and placed it on a nearby fence post to dry. Marvelling at the colours and having close up views of the eyes was a treat for us all. It was an Emperor, our largest adonata, but I have never seen a teneral (recently hatched) female before, and initially I thought it may be something rarer. That was not to be but she did however pose nicely in return for being lifted to safety.